backbone

noun

back·​bone ˈbak-ˈbōn 

-ˌbōn

1

: spinal column, spine

2

: something that resembles a backbone: such as

a

: a chief mountain ridge, range, or system

b

: the foundation or most substantial or sturdiest part of something

c

: the longest chain of atoms or groups of atoms in a usually long molecule (such as a polymer or protein)

d

: the primary high-speed hardware and transmission lines of a telecommunications network (such as the Internet)

3

: firm and resolute character

4

: spine sense 1c

backboned

ˈbak-ˌbōnd 

adjective

Synonyms

• chine
• spinal column
• spine
• vertebral column

Examples of backbone in a Sentence

She is the backbone of the family.

He showed some backbone by refusing to compromise his values.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nvidia, the leader in the AI chip space, has been the backbone of the Mag 7′s performance over the past couple of years, with its stock surging nearly 1,800% over five years due to the AI boom. —Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 28 Feb. 2025

So those were all written into the backbone of the story, but then the modulation became my job of finding the inner world. —Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025

Restoring power proved to be more problematic in the country's north, where a fault in a backbone transmission line first triggered the outage that set off a chain reaction of power plant and transmission line shutdowns across the South American nation. —Nayara Batschke and Matias Basualdo The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025

Cash flow management is the backbone of financial stability. —Aleesha Webb, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for backbone

• alone
• atone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone
• dethrone

Kids Definition

backbone

noun

back·​bone -ˈbōn 

-ˌbōn

1

: the skeleton of the trunk and tail of a vertebrate that consists of a jointed series of vertebrae enclosing and protecting the spinal cord

called also spinal column

2

: the foundation or sturdiest part of something

3

: firmness of character

a coward with no backbone

backboned

-ˈbōnd 

-ˌbōnd

adjective

Medical Definition

backbone

noun

back·​bone -ˈbōn, -ˌbōn 

1

: spinal column, spine

2

: the longest chain of atoms or groups of atoms in a usually long molecule (as a polymer or protein)