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
Discovered in 1981, the tiny backbones — just a few millimeters long — had not received much attention historically.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2025
Driving trucks is one of the unappreciated backbones of modern civilization.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Sep. 2025
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
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2025
Driving trucks is one of the unappreciated backbones of modern civilization.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backbones
spines
Noun
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The tuatara is a charismatic medium-size reptile with a Muppet-like face and a row of spines running down its back.—
Elizabeth Preston,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
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At a distance many of these plants appear fluffy, with a bushiness that upon closer inspection reveals hundreds, likely thousands, of prickly spines.—
Von Diaz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backbones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backbones. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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