chest

American  

[chest] / tʃɛst /

noun

1. Anatomy.  the trunk of the body from the neck to the abdomen; thorax.

2. a box, usually with a lid, for storage, safekeeping of valuables, etc..

   a toy chest; a jewelry chest.

3. the place where the funds of a public institution or charitable organization are kept; treasury; coffer.

4. the funds themselves.

5. a box in which certain goods, as tea, are packed for transit.

6. the quantity contained in such a box.

   a chest of spices.

7. chest of drawers.

8. a small cabinet, especially one hung on a wall, for storage, as of toiletries and medicines.

   a medicine chest.

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idioms

1. get (something) off one's chest,  to relieve oneself of (problems, troubling thoughts, etc.) by revealing them to someone.

2. play it close to the chest.  vest.

chest British  

/ tʃɛst /

noun

1. 1. the front part of the trunk from the neck to the belly

   2. ( as modifier )

      a chest cold

2. informal  to unburden oneself of troubles, worries, etc, by talking about them

3. a box, usually large and sturdy, used for storage or shipping

   a tea chest

4. Also: chestful.  the quantity a chest holds

5. rare

   1. the place in which a public or charitable institution deposits its funds

   2. the funds so deposited

6. a sealed container or reservoir for a gas

   a wind chest

   a steam chest

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chest More Idioms  

1. see off one's chest; play one's cards close to one's chest.

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Other Word Forms

• chested adjective
• chestful noun

Etymology

Origin of chest

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cest, cist, from Latin cista, from Greek kístē “box”

Example Sentences

“There was a treasure chest on the float,” my dad recalled.

From Salon

"Some animals have lumps on their chest. It's not pox, but no one will believe me," he says.

From BBC

Kiffin has said that the best jobs in college football are the ones whose NIL collectives, which fund so-called “name, image and likeness” payments, had the biggest war chests to spend on players.

From The Wall Street Journal

Supporters even circulated online images of a modified Batman action figure, with “Harfuch” emblazoned on the chest.

From Los Angeles Times

After developing symptoms of a chest infection on the first day, she was given antibiotics at a medical centre.

From BBC

Related Words

• breast
• heart
• rib cage