1
: of, relating to, or situated near the spinal column
2
a
: of, relating to, or affecting the spinal cord
spinal reflexes
b
: having the spinal cord functionally isolated (as by surgical section) from the brain
experiments on spinal animals
3
: of, relating to, or resembling a spine
: a spinal anesthetic
Examples of spinal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 11 Mar. 2026
The Paralympics have their roots in a British hospital for World War II veterans with spinal injuries, which organized a wheelchair archery competition — called the Stoke Mandeville Games — in conjunction with the 1948 Olympics in London.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Mar. 2026
Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
They have not been helped by knee problems for star sprinter Tim Merlier and a broken spinal vertebra for new signing Laurenz Rex.
—Andy McGrath, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spinal
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Adjective
Sometime between February and April of that year, the doctors said, Verderber’s spine had been completely cut off from her T10 level down, a spinal region located around the belly button.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 11 Mar. 2026
The Paralympics have their roots in a British hospital for World War II veterans with spinal injuries, which organized a wheelchair archery competition — called the Stoke Mandeville Games — in conjunction with the 1948 Olympics in London.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
The firm told a Maryland car crash victim her case was worth $1 million and encouraged her to see a California spinal surgeon who charged roughly $300,000 for surgery, according to the complaint.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
They have not been helped by knee problems for star sprinter Tim Merlier and a broken spinal vertebra for new signing Laurenz Rex.
—Andy McGrath, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spinal
Cite this Entry
“Spinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spinal. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
spinal
1 of 2 adjective
spi·nal
ˈspīn-ᵊl 
1
: of, relating to, or situated near the spinal column
2
a
: of, relating to, or affecting the spinal cord
spinal reflexes
b
: having the spinal cord functionally isolated (as by surgical section) from the brain
experiments on spinal animals
c
: used for spinal anesthesia
a spinal anesthetic
3
: made for or fitted to the spinal column
a spinal brace
spinal
2 of 2 noun
: a spinal anesthetic
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