backboard
noun
back·board
| \ ˈbak-ˌbȯrd
\
\
Definition of backboard
1
: a board placed at or serving as the back of something
especially
: a rounded or rectangular board behind the basket on a basketball court which serves to keep missed shots from going out-of-bounds and from which the ball can be made to rebound into the basket
2
: a stiff board on which an injured person and especially one with neck or spinal injuries is placed and immobilized in order to prevent further injury during transport
Examples of backboard in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2004, after a local resident reported seeing a group of male players engaged in a water fight in the women’s bathroom, Speedway removed the rims and backboards from Meadowood, never to be returned. — Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Home to McGinnis, Mount and the greatest pick-up basketball in Indiana," 10 July 2019 Baker installed a plywood backboard (to withstand kicks, scratches, and grip adjustments) then installed grips, which can be unscrewed and rearranged as kids grow—or become too adroit with one layout. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "How to Create the World's Most Insane Playroom," 24 May 2019 Then Costley flips it over his head and off the backboard for a few easy lay-ups. — Pat Stoetzer, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Basketball: Westminster star Herman Costley ‘was always the best player’," 13 July 2019 Helping Federer get through the third set was serving and volleying repeatedly on second serves as Wawrinka returned from around the backboard. — Ravi Ubha, CNN, "Federer, Nadal to meet at French Open for first time since 2011," 4 June 2019 The first set was chock with long, physical rallies, with Thiem proving every bit the human backboard that Nadal is on clay. — Liz Clarke, The Denver Post, "Rafael Nadal wins 12th French Open title with victory over Dominic Thiem," 9 June 2019 Checked by shot-blocking force Sagaba Konate, Sims flashed the slightest ball fake, rocketed left and exploded off two feet, finishing on the defender's head with a slam that caused the backboard to quake. — Nick Moyle, Houston Chronicle, "UT’s gutsy overtime win might have sealed NCAA berth," 3 Mar. 2018 Hof spun toward the baseline and got a great look — the ball hitting the backboard first, then the back of the rim, then rolled to the left side of the rim before finally spinning off. — Tim Reynolds, The Seattle Times, "Arizona State holds on late, ousts Miami 57-55," 24 Mar. 2019 Mitchell opened the contest by throwing the ball off one backboard, catching it in midair, and dunking on a different hoop. — Joe Vardon, cleveland.com, "Donovan Mitchell edges Larry Nance in NBA Slam Dunk contest," 17 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'backboard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for backboard
backboard
noun
English Language Learners Definition of backboard
basketball
: the board behind the basket
See the full definition for backboard in the English Language Learners Dictionary
backboard
noun
back·board
| \ -ˌbȯrd
\
\
Medical Definition of backboard
: a stiff board on which an injured person and especially one with neck or spinal injuries is placed and immobilized in order to prevent further injury during transport