breast

American  

[brest] / brɛst /

noun

1. Anatomy, Zoology. (in bipeds) the outer, front part of the thorax, or the front part of the body from the neck to the abdomen; chest.

2. Zoology. the corresponding part in quadrupeds.

3. either of the pair of mammae occurring on the chest in humans and having a discrete areola around the nipple, especially the mammae of the female after puberty, which are enlarged and softened by hormonally influenced mammary-gland development and fat deposition and which secrete milk after the birth of a child: the breasts of males normally remain rudimentary.

4. the part of a garment that covers the chest.

5. the bosom conceived of as the center of emotion.

   What anger lay in his breast when he made that speech?

6. a projection from a wall, as part of a chimney.

7. any surface or part resembling or likened to the human breast.

8. Mining. the face or heading at which the work is going on.

9. Metallurgy.

   1. the front of an open-hearth furnace.

   2. the clay surrounding the taphole of a cupola.

10. Nautical.

    1. breast line.

    2. a rounded bow.

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verb (used with object)

1. to meet or oppose boldly; confront.

   As a controversial public figure he has breasted much hostile criticism.

2. to contend with or advance against.

   The ship breasted the turbulent seas.

3. to climb or climb over (a mountain, obstacle, etc.).

4. to overcome, succeed against.

5. to come alongside or abreast of.

verb phrase

1. breast off

   1. to thrust (a vessel) sideways from a wharf.

   2. to keep (a vessel) away from a wharf by means of timbers.

2. breast in to bind (an object, as a boatswain's chair) securely under a projection, as the flare of a bow.

idioms

1. make a clean breast of, to confess everything (of which one is guilty).

   You'll feel better if you make a clean breast of it.

2. beat one's breast, to display one's grief, remorse, etc., in a loud and demonstrative manner.

breast British  

/ brɛst /

noun

1. the front part of the body from the neck to the abdomen; chest

2. either of the two soft fleshy milk-secreting glands on the chest in sexually mature human females adjective mammary

3. a similar organ in certain other mammals

4. anything that resembles a breast in shape or position

   the breast of the hill

5. a source of nourishment

   the city took the victims to its breast

6. the source of human emotions

7. the part of a garment that covers the breast

8. a projection from the side of a wall, esp that formed by a chimney

9. mining the face being worked at the end of a tunnel

10. to display guilt and remorse publicly or ostentatiously

11. to make a confession of

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verb

1. to confront boldly; face

   breast the storm

2. to oppose with the breast or meet at breast level

   breasting the waves

3. to come alongside of

   breast the ship

4. to reach the summit of

   breasting the mountain top

breast More Idioms  

1. see keep abreast of; make a clean breast of.

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Other Word Forms

• breastless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of breast

before 1000; Middle English brest, Old English brēost; cognate with Old Norse brjōst; akin to German Brust, Gothic brusts, Dutch borst

Example Sentences

The Disney-themed plates, if approved, would be among several the DMV offers to fund charities or causes, including the Arts Council, Breast Cancer Awareness, the Lake Tahoe Conservancy, museums, firefighters and veterans.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Dr. Laurie Margolies, the chief of breast imaging at the Dubin Breast Center at Mount Sinai, has spent nearly four decades reading mammograms, starting back when radiologists squinted at film on light boxes.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

A new research initiative called Biomarker Research Integrating Data of Glyco-Immune Signatures and Clinical Evidence in Breast Cancer is working to address this gap.

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026

"Breast milk can come if there is something to eat, but now there is nothing," she said, gently rocking Riak under the scant protection of a cotton sheet.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

Breast feeding, for example, is the only way to guarantee a healthy and intellectually advanced child—unless bottle feeding is the answer.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Related Words

• bosom
• chest
• nipple