backboard
noun
back·board
ˈbak-ˌbȯrd 
1
: a board placed at or serving as the back of something
especially
: a rounded or rectangular board behind the basket on a basketball court which serves to keep missed shots from going out-of-bounds and from which the ball can be made to rebound into the basket
2
: a stiff board on which an injured person and especially one with neck or spinal injuries is placed and immobilized in order to prevent further injury during transport
Examples of backboard in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The buzzer barely finished echoing when white steam burst from the back of the backboard and purple streamers tumbled from the Chase Center rafters onto the cheering fans below.
—
Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
The 36-year-old ended up with a fractured vertebra after a backboard collapsed following a fellow basketball player’s dunk during last Saturday’s practice at the Australian Institute of Sport Arena in Canberra, the Adelaide 36ers confirmed.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The footage cut away after a few seconds of showing Zilisch not moving; the network later showed him being carried out of victory lane on a backboard, and pit reporter Dillon Welch told viewers Zilisch was speaking with safety workers before being placed into an ambulance.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
But Nicky’s real trick is jumping from the three-point line and dunking the ball so viciously that the backboard glass shatters.
—Derek Lawrence, Vulture, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for backboard
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Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
The 36-year-old ended up with a fractured vertebra after a backboard collapsed following a fellow basketball player’s dunk during last Saturday’s practice at the Australian Institute of Sport Arena in Canberra, the Adelaide 36ers confirmed.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The footage cut away after a few seconds of showing Zilisch not moving; the network later showed him being carried out of victory lane on a backboard, and pit reporter Dillon Welch told viewers Zilisch was speaking with safety workers before being placed into an ambulance.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
But Nicky’s real trick is jumping from the three-point line and dunking the ball so viciously that the backboard glass shatters.
—Derek Lawrence, Vulture, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for backboard
Cite this Entry
“Backboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backboard. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
backboard
noun
back·board
ˈbak-ˌbōrd
-ˌbȯrd
: a board placed at the back or serving as a back
especially
: a rounded or rectangular board behind the basket on a basketball court
Medical Definition
backboard
noun
back·board
-ˌbȯrd
: a stiff board on which an injured person and especially one with neck or spinal injuries is placed and immobilized in order to prevent further injury during transport
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