Word.ws English Dictionary

backbones

backbones is the plural of backbone.

Meaning of backbone

Noun

backbone (countable and uncountable, plural backbones)

  1. (countable) The series of vertebrae, separated by disks, that encloses and protects the spinal cord, and runs down the middle of the back in vertebrate animals.
  2. (countable, figuratively) Any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure.
    • Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce.
  3. (figuratively, uncountable) Courage, fortitude, or strength.
    • He would make a good manager, if he had a little more backbone.

Questions about backbones

What is backbones the plural of?
Backbones is the plural of backbone.

Words near backbones in the dictionary

  1. backbonds
  2. backbone
  3. backboned
  4. backboneless
  5. backbonelessness
  6. backbones
  7. backbore
  8. backbored
  9. backbores
  10. backboring
  11. backbox

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: backbones (page history and authors); backbone (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “backbones.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/backbones. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.