as in spines
a column of bones supporting the trunk of a vertebrate animal
found the backbone of a fish lying on the beach
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Recent Examples of backbones
Platform product management is rarely treated as a strategic, first-class discipline, resulting in fragmented backbones that fail to support enterprise-wide innovation.
—
Gaurav Dixit, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
By trading in metal backbones for a soft familiar-feeling vest, the wearable robot offers a more cost-effective and approachable solution for the millions of individuals worldwide who could possibly benefit from moderate limb support.
—Mack Degeurin Aug 21, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
These are the national backbones, usually laid by the countries.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 July 2025
Gaurav Dixit, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
By trading in metal backbones for a soft familiar-feeling vest, the wearable robot offers a more cost-effective and approachable solution for the millions of individuals worldwide who could possibly benefit from moderate limb support.
—Mack Degeurin Aug 21, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
These are the national backbones, usually laid by the countries.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backbones
spines
Noun
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The new species was identified by its body proportions, spines, scale pattern, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
29 Aug. 2025
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Spicomellus had a back that was probably bristling with sharper spines, along with far larger ones along its outer edges.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backbones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backbones. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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