backbone
(noun)
noun
1. a central cohesive source of support and stability
Similar word(s): anchor, keystone, linchpin, lynchpin, mainstay
Definition categories: thought, support
2. fortitude and determination
Similar word(s): grit, gumption, guts, moxie, sand
Definition categories: attribute, fortitude
3. the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
- the fall broke his back
Similar word(s): back, rachis, spine
Definition categories: body
4. the part of a book's cover that encloses the inner side of the book's pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved
Similar word(s): spine
Definition categories: man–made, part, portion
5. the part of a network that connects other networks together
- the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic
Definition categories: man–made, connecter, connection, connective, connector, connexion
Sentences with backbone as a noun:
- Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce.
- He would make a good manager, if he had a little more backbone.