backboard

noun

back·​board ˈbak-ˌbȯrd 

1

: a board placed at or serving as the back of something

especially : a rounded or rectangular board behind the basket on a basketball court which serves to keep missed shots from going out-of-bounds and from which the ball can be made to rebound into the basket

2

: a stiff board on which an injured person and especially one with neck or spinal injuries is placed and immobilized in order to prevent further injury during transport

Examples of backboard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More cameras have been set up around the baselines and backboards. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 17 Jan. 2025

Karl-Anthony Towns suffered a right hand injury when his thumb appeared to slam into the backboard on a dunk attempt in the first quarter of a 124-119 loss to the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025

Stewart caught Bridges and blocked his shot against the backboard to register his second swat of the game. —Hunter Patterson, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025

Towns sustained the injury in Monday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, jamming his thumb on the bottom of the backboard during a drive to the rim. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

backboard

noun

back·​board ˈbak-ˌbōrd 

-ˌbȯrd

: a board placed at the back or serving as a back

especially : a rounded or rectangular board behind the basket on a basketball court

Medical Definition

backboard

noun

back·​board -ˌbȯrd 

: a stiff board on which an injured person and especially one with neck or spinal injuries is placed and immobilized in order to prevent further injury during transport