Skeleton
noun
The frame of bones that supports the human or animal body.
Human skeleton consists of 206 bones.
Often appears as...
- human skeleton
- animal skeleton
noun
A very thin or emaciated person or animal.
After his illness, he looked like a skeleton.
Often appears as...
- look like a skeleton
- reduced to a skeleton
noun
The basic structure or bare outline of something.
She provided the committee with a skeleton of the project report.
Often appears as...
- skeleton outline
- skeleton plan
noun
A small sled used in racing, on which the person lies flat while going down a track.
The Winter Olympics feature sports such as bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.
Often appears as...
- skeleton racing
- skeleton track
noun
The structural base of a building or object.
The skeleton of the new building is now complete.
Often appears as...
- building skeleton
- skeleton structure
Usage tips
Technical
noun
The frame of bones that supports the human or animal body.
Human skeleton consists of 206 bones.
Often appears as...
- human skeleton
- animal skeleton
noun
A very thin or emaciated person or animal.
After his illness, he looked like a skeleton.
Often appears as...
- look like a skeleton
- reduced to a skeleton
noun
The basic structure or bare outline of something.
She provided the committee with a skeleton of the project report.
Often appears as...
- skeleton outline
- skeleton plan
noun
A small sled used in racing, on which the person lies flat while going down a track.
The Winter Olympics feature sports such as bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.
Often appears as...
- skeleton racing
- skeleton track
noun
The structural base of a building or object.
The skeleton of the new building is now complete.
Often appears as...
- building skeleton
- skeleton structure
Usage tips
Technical
Definition 1 of 5
Pro Tip 1/3Anatomical Term
Refers to all the bones in a body, often used in education and science.
Biology students study the human skeleton in detail.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Always Complete
In conversation, 'skeleton' may mean a full set or just part of the bones.
Archaeologists discovered a dinosaur skeleton missing its skull.
Pro Tip 3/3Metaphorical Use
Used in expressions to refer to the most basic form of something.
We will prepare a skeleton of the proposal for now.
Pro Tip 1/3Anatomical Term
Refers to all the bones in a body, often used in education and science.
Biology students study the human skeleton in detail.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Always Complete
In conversation, 'skeleton' may mean a full set or just part of the bones.
Archaeologists discovered a dinosaur skeleton missing its skull.
Pro Tip 3/3Metaphorical Use
Used in expressions to refer to the most basic form of something.
We will prepare a skeleton of the proposal for now.
Pro Tip 1/3Anatomical Term
Refers to all the bones in a body, often used in education and science.
Biology students study the human skeleton in detail.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Always Complete
In conversation, 'skeleton' may mean a full set or just part of the bones.
Archaeologists discovered a dinosaur skeleton missing its skull.
Pro Tip 3/3Metaphorical Use
Used in expressions to refer to the most basic form of something.
We will prepare a skeleton of the proposal for now.
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Video examples
Extreme Dinosaurs PIPE...
hand that off to the biomechanics to explain how it could get away with lightening the skeleton as much as it did it wasn't I don't think a flotation device I think it was just trying to reduce the amount of living tissue it had to support and still get by and it was doing it quite successfully because it was the most common large herbivore
Video examples
How can sculptures save...
creating an alkaline buffer zone and this is important because with ocean acidification and other factors corals have a hard time getting the calcium carbonate they need to build their exoskeletons so essentially we're giving them skeletons so they can use their energy for other vital factors other vital activities like reproduction they
Video examples
What can you learn from...
Not only that, but during life, bones undergo a constant cycle of remodeling. So if someone moves from one place to another, bones synthesized after that move will also reflect the new isotopic signatures of the surrounding environment. That means that skeletons can be used like migratory maps.
Video examples
How to grow a bone -...
While the lattice itself is not made of living cells, networks of blood vessels, nerves and other living tissues grow through special channels and passages. And over the course of development, a legion of osteoblasts reinforce the skeleton that protects our organs, allows us to move,
Video examples
Why the octopus brain is...
This is where things get even more interesting. Vertebrates like us have a rigid skeleton to support our bodies, with joints that allow us to move. But not all types of movement are allowed. You can't bend your knee backwards, or bend your forearm in the middle, for example.
Video examples
The evolution of the...
so printing houses popped up all over Europe. The product of this bibliographic boom is familiar to us in some respects, but markedly different in others. The skeleton of the book is paper, type, and cover.
Video examples
The Biggest Dinosaur...
This isn't the parent. This is a Skorpiovenator, a predator. The skeleton found at the nest site was almost certainly a nest raider, preying on the hatchlings.
Video examples
The way we think about...
If my skeleton is discovered thousands of years from now, I'll be labeled male. Is that the truth? My balls would say so. But what about the rest of me?
Video examples
The Blue Planet...
had been carefully laid out on the sea floor at first the skeleton seemed totally abandoned but even after so long there
Video examples
Ferocious Dinosaur...
the skeleton found at the nest site was almost certainly a nest raider preying on the hatchlings
Video examples
Extreme Dinosaurs PIPE...
hand that off to the biomechanics to explain how it could get away with lightening the skeleton as much as it did it wasn't I don't think a flotation device I think it was just trying to reduce the amount of living tissue it had to support and still get by and it was doing it quite successfully because it was the most common large herbivore
Video examples
How can sculptures save...
creating an alkaline buffer zone and this is important because with ocean acidification and other factors corals have a hard time getting the calcium carbonate they need to build their exoskeletons so essentially we're giving them skeletons so they can use their energy for other vital factors other vital activities like reproduction they
Video examples
What can you learn from...
Not only that, but during life, bones undergo a constant cycle of remodeling. So if someone moves from one place to another, bones synthesized after that move will also reflect the new isotopic signatures of the surrounding environment. That means that skeletons can be used like migratory maps.
Video examples
How to grow a bone -...
While the lattice itself is not made of living cells, networks of blood vessels, nerves and other living tissues grow through special channels and passages. And over the course of development, a legion of osteoblasts reinforce the skeleton that protects our organs, allows us to move,
Video examples
Why the octopus brain is...
This is where things get even more interesting. Vertebrates like us have a rigid skeleton to support our bodies, with joints that allow us to move. But not all types of movement are allowed. You can't bend your knee backwards, or bend your forearm in the middle, for example.
Video examples
The evolution of the...
so printing houses popped up all over Europe. The product of this bibliographic boom is familiar to us in some respects, but markedly different in others. The skeleton of the book is paper, type, and cover.
Video examples
The Biggest Dinosaur...
This isn't the parent. This is a Skorpiovenator, a predator. The skeleton found at the nest site was almost certainly a nest raider, preying on the hatchlings.
Video examples
The way we think about...
If my skeleton is discovered thousands of years from now, I'll be labeled male. Is that the truth? My balls would say so. But what about the rest of me?
Video examples
The Blue Planet...
had been carefully laid out on the sea floor at first the skeleton seemed totally abandoned but even after so long there
Video examples
Ferocious Dinosaur...
the skeleton found at the nest site was almost certainly a nest raider preying on the hatchlings
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Ann Turner
American Writer
When I first began to have the initial idea for 'Heartsease,' I just wrote a skeleton story; that is, I started her off as this young, bright 16-year-old and then added the events that occurred and where she and other characters fitted in, even writing 3 different endings, as I was not sure where Mary's story would lead to.
Quote examples
Peter Jackson
New Zealander Director
Obviously, with a CGI character, you're building a character in much the same way as a real creature is built. You build the bones, the skeletons, the muscles. You put layers of fat on. You put a layer of skin on which has to have a translucency, depending on what the character is.
Quote examples
Denis Leary
American Actor
Everyone's got skeletons in their closet, and I've got a million in mine, believe me. I tested the envelope; I pushed it. Whenever somebody in authority told me not to do something, I did it just to find out why they said not to do it.
Quote examples
Vikrant Massey
Indian Actor
I'm not a trained actor. I have neither read acting books nor gone to acting school. But I have certain fundamentals on how I approach a character; the basic skeleton of my preparation is based on observations from real life.
Quote examples
Sarah Pinborough
English Writer
With TV, your first draft just doesn't matter. It's a skeleton, and then there's draft after draft after draft, and so many other factors influence it. It's just a whole different kind of storytelling.
Quote examples
Andrea Jeremiah
Indian Actress
I have always been open about the way I live my life, because hiding skeletons in the closet and presenting a picture-perfect image is not my style.
Quote examples
Christopher McQuarrie
American Director
I believe that as a writer and a director, you're only providing the skeleton of a character, and you're hiring actors to fill it out.
Quote examples
Henry Miller
American Author
The world dies over and over again, but the skeleton always gets up and walks.
Quote examples
George Bernard Shaw
Irish Playwright
If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.
Quote examples
Greg Rutherford
British Athlete
If you look at the skeleton, the start is very important.
Quote examples
Ann Turner
American Writer
When I first began to have the initial idea for 'Heartsease,' I just wrote a skeleton story; that is, I started her off as this young, bright 16-year-old and then added the events that occurred and where she and other characters fitted in, even writing 3 different endings, as I was not sure where Mary's story would lead to.
Quote examples
Peter Jackson
New Zealander Director
Obviously, with a CGI character, you're building a character in much the same way as a real creature is built. You build the bones, the skeletons, the muscles. You put layers of fat on. You put a layer of skin on which has to have a translucency, depending on what the character is.
Quote examples
Denis Leary
American Actor
Everyone's got skeletons in their closet, and I've got a million in mine, believe me. I tested the envelope; I pushed it. Whenever somebody in authority told me not to do something, I did it just to find out why they said not to do it.
Quote examples
Vikrant Massey
Indian Actor
I'm not a trained actor. I have neither read acting books nor gone to acting school. But I have certain fundamentals on how I approach a character; the basic skeleton of my preparation is based on observations from real life.
Quote examples
Sarah Pinborough
English Writer
With TV, your first draft just doesn't matter. It's a skeleton, and then there's draft after draft after draft, and so many other factors influence it. It's just a whole different kind of storytelling.
Quote examples
Andrea Jeremiah
Indian Actress
I have always been open about the way I live my life, because hiding skeletons in the closet and presenting a picture-perfect image is not my style.
Quote examples
Christopher McQuarrie
American Director
I believe that as a writer and a director, you're only providing the skeleton of a character, and you're hiring actors to fill it out.
Quote examples
Henry Miller
American Author
The world dies over and over again, but the skeleton always gets up and walks.
Quote examples
George Bernard Shaw
Irish Playwright
If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.
Quote examples
Greg Rutherford
British Athlete
If you look at the skeleton, the start is very important.
Example 1 of 10
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