vertebrae

noun

variants or vertebras
plural of vertebra
as in spinal cords

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vertebrae
  1. spinal cords
  2. spines
  3. backs
Noun
  • In a new study, the team grew miniature human spinal cords from induced pluripotent stem cells and then deliberately injured them to replicate key features of traumatic spinal cord damage.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Feb. 2026
Definition of spinal cords
Noun
  • The Food and Drug Administration has again paused trials for Regenxbio’s gene therapy for a rare childhood brain disorder, after small masses were found on the spines of five patients, the company said Monday.
    — Jason Mast, STAT, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Four patients getting routine joint replacement surgeries at a hospital in Nashville allegedly had the wrong drug injected into their spines, leaving at least one woman paralyzed, according to her family.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of spines
Noun
  • After being implanted beneath the skin of their backs, the tissues developed their own blood supply and began to contract spontaneously.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • One of these backs could be a healthy scratch for the opener.
    — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of backs
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.

Browse Nearby Words

vertebra
vertebrae
vertebral column
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vertebrae.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vertebrae. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All