as in backbones
a column of bones supporting the trunk of a vertebrate animal
he hurt his spine in the accident, but the doctor says he'll be walking again in no time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spines
From Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s hand came branches and whorls, spines and webs.
—
Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025
The cactus appears in the Aztec codices and the name comes from a Nahuatl word that means a pot covered in spines.
—Eyder Peralta, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
The fossils include the back half of the skull, a significant portion of the spines, parts of rib, shoulder blades, and bones of the front flipper, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Spicomellus had a back that was probably bristling with sharper spines, along with far larger ones along its outer edges.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
Calderon also looks for hardcover books and pays attention to the spines, not the fragile jackets.
—Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2025
Expect to marvel at saddles blanketed in blueberries and multi-hued wildflowers, marmots trilling their warnings, ibex perched on rocky spines, and neon critters that wiggle and hop underfoot.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025
The cactus appears in the Aztec codices and the name comes from a Nahuatl word that means a pot covered in spines.
—Eyder Peralta, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
The fossils include the back half of the skull, a significant portion of the spines, parts of rib, shoulder blades, and bones of the front flipper, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025
Spicomellus had a back that was probably bristling with sharper spines, along with far larger ones along its outer edges.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
Calderon also looks for hardcover books and pays attention to the spines, not the fragile jackets.
—Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2025
Expect to marvel at saddles blanketed in blueberries and multi-hued wildflowers, marmots trilling their warnings, ibex perched on rocky spines, and neon critters that wiggle and hop underfoot.
—Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spines
Noun
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Driving trucks is one of the unappreciated backbones of modern civilization.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
6 Sep. 2025
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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
Noun
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On paper, the Panthers do have one of the better backup running backs in football, with former Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle entering the fold this year coming off of an 1,000-yard rushing season of his own in 2024.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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Trevor Etienne and DeeJay Dallas are Carolina’s other running backs.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spines. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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