as in spines
a column of bones supporting the trunk of a vertebrate animal
found the backbone of a fish lying on the beach
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of backbones
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
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
-
The new species was identified by its coloring, skin texture, spines, eye coloring, body proportions and other subtle physical features, the study said.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Oxford World’s Classics, whose very name conjures for me an image of the imprint’s white spines, was doing the novel, like Penguin, using multiple translators.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backbones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backbones. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share