Princeton's WordNet

1. anchor, mainstay, keystone, backbone, linchpin, lynchpin(noun)

   a central cohesive source of support and stability

   "faith is his anchor"; "the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money"; "he is the linchpin of this firm"

2. backbone, grit, guts, moxie, sand, gumption(noun)

   fortitude and determination

   "he didn't have the guts to try it"

3. spinal column, vertebral column, spine, backbone, back, rachis(noun)

   the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord

   "the fall broke his back"

4. spine, backbone(noun)

   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

   "the title and author were printed on the spine of the book"

5. backbone(noun)

   the part of a network that connects other networks together

   "the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

1. backbone(noun)ˈbækˌboʊn

   the bones running up the middle of the back; = spine

   a feeling of pressure on my backbone

2. backboneˈbækˌboʊn

   the strongest or most important part

   Manufacturing is the backbone of the economy.

3. backboneˈbækˌboʊn

   determination and strength of character

   Does he have the backbone to do this job?

Wiktionary

1. backbone(Noun)

   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. backbone(Noun)

   any fundamental support, structure, or infrastructure

   Before automobiles, railroads were a backbone of commerce.

3. backbone(Noun)

   courage, fortitude, or strength

   He would make a good manager, if he had a little more backbone.

Webster Dictionary

1. Backbone(noun)

   the column of bones in the back which sustains and gives firmness to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column

2. Backbone(noun)

   anything like , or serving the purpose of, a backbone

3. Backbone(noun)

   firmness; moral principle; steadfastness

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