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
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Recent Examples of spines
The fruit is typically oval or heart-shaped with a green peel and soft spines.
—
Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 28 May 2026
Between urchin spines, tiny crabs and juvenile abalone take shelter while hungry fish swirl past.
—Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026
Only the books’ spines were visible.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
In this one, two Newark teenagers rub their naked spines together in an effort to cure a bad case of bacne while a wild pelican watches them from the corner of the room.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 13 May 2026
The songs’ spines are elastic, accommodating the acoustic, the electronic, the Caribbean, the bombastically orchestral, in arrangements that always seem fun for performers to brand with their likeness.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The video is backed by a booming soundtrack, composed by Pascal Wyse, largely using materials found in the desert such as saguaro spines.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Norwegian Lundehunds have six fully functional toes, a neck that can bend backward to touch their spines, and ears that can fold shut to keep water out.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
The technology is engineered to keep customers' spines aligned.
—Charlotte Maracina, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 28 May 2026
Between urchin spines, tiny crabs and juvenile abalone take shelter while hungry fish swirl past.
—Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026
Only the books’ spines were visible.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
In this one, two Newark teenagers rub their naked spines together in an effort to cure a bad case of bacne while a wild pelican watches them from the corner of the room.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 13 May 2026
The songs’ spines are elastic, accommodating the acoustic, the electronic, the Caribbean, the bombastically orchestral, in arrangements that always seem fun for performers to brand with their likeness.
—New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The video is backed by a booming soundtrack, composed by Pascal Wyse, largely using materials found in the desert such as saguaro spines.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Norwegian Lundehunds have six fully functional toes, a neck that can bend backward to touch their spines, and ears that can fold shut to keep water out.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
The technology is engineered to keep customers' spines aligned.
—Charlotte Maracina, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spines
Noun
-
Even when degraded, enzymes have stable backbones that might be capable of catalyzing reactions, said Sudha Rajamani, an astrobiologist at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune who wasn’t involved in the study.—
Siddhant Pusdekar,
Quanta Magazine,
1 June 2026
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As songwriters, the Ottavianos usually only needed a metaphor, a single beautiful image, or a fun double entendre to serve as narrative backbones.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some can be seen with their hands tied behind their backs, kneeling with their heads touching the floor.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
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For starters, Chelsea has top-level wing backs which are difficult to find at the top of the game.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spines. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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