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
Hang Nguyen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2025
Those early encounters with manual therapy inspired her to pursue advanced training in therapeutic touch and spinal care.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 24 Nov. 2025
Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Nov. 2025
The following year, Neeson suffered a severe spinal injury.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spinal
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Adjective
The Carlsbad company has developed a patented, machine learning technology that taps a patient’s X-ray and CT scans to design a digital surgical plan to achieve the best spinal alignment and then 3-D print titanium implants.
—Hang Nguyen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2025
Those early encounters with manual therapy inspired her to pursue advanced training in therapeutic touch and spinal care.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 24 Nov. 2025
Noun
Sawyer, a former police officer, suffers from degenerative spinal stenosis.
—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Nov. 2025
The following year, Neeson suffered a severe spinal injury.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spinal
Cite this Entry
“Spinal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spinal. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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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