spinal column

noun

Definition of spinal columnnext
as in spine
a column of bones supporting the trunk of a vertebrate animal a diagram of the spinal column

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spinal column The creatures on this list literally lack spinal columns…and yet attain relatively massive proportions. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026 The effect can ripple from your knees to your hips and up your spinal column. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026 Williams then threw Azari into the arm of a couch, causing the infant to bounce and perhaps hit his head on the wall, and causing what a pathologist concluded were injuries consistent with the profound brain bleeding and spinal column fracture the physician found in an autopsy. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026 He was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia in his brain and spinal column and hospitalized over the summer. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 25 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for spinal column
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spinal column
  1. spine
  2. vertebral column
Noun
  • This will form the spine of the story, and in a way its point.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In giving form to their resistance to Bicentennial events, the anti-catalog retrospectively contests any national fascia union in aesthetics, even though the role of the state was a spine.
    — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of spine
Noun
  • The wall displayed a careful repetition and symmetry using pieces of the vertebral column.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
  • The remains included parts of the lower jaw, vertebral column, and pelvic girdle.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
Definition of vertebral column

Browse Nearby Words

spin
spinal column
spinal columns
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Cite this Entry

“Spinal column.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spinal%20column. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on spinal column

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spinal column

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