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

Ladders, backboards and pallets were used as a workspace to pull the man out. —Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026

The game was never closer than nine points the rest of the way, in large part because the Gaels owned the backboards. —Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026

The group delivered the defining play of the Phoenix game when Scheierman elevated to contest a shot at the rim, Harper soared in to block it off the backboard and Gonzalez raced the other way for a coast-to-coast Eurostep layup. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026

His floater in the lane bounced off the backboard, and Alabama corralled the rebound for its fifth consecutive win. —ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for backboard

• abroad
• applaud
• ballade
• defraud
• ephod
• facade
• guffawed
• outlawed
• ramrod
• roughshod
• slipshod
• tripod

Kids 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