chest

[ chest ]
See synonyms for chest on Thesaurus.com
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.

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

  2. the funds themselves.

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

  4. the quantity contained in such a box: a chest of spices.

  5. a small cabinet, especially one hung on a wall, for storage, as of toiletries and medicines: a medicine chest.

Idioms about chest

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

  2. play it close to the chest. vest (def. 16).

Origin of chest

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cest, cist, from Latin cista, from Greek kístē “box”

Other words from chest

  • chest·ful [chest-fool], /ˈtʃɛst fʊl/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chest in a sentence

  • Individual pallet chests are cheaper to make and they have none of the defects named above.

  • The Australians have the pull in height and width of chest; the New Zealanders are thicker all through, chests, waists, thighs.

  • Upon one of the tea-chests placed beside the cupboard which had contained the lantern a Chinaman was seated.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • A piece of well-worn matting lay upon the floor, and there were two chairs, a table, and a number of empty tea-chests in the room.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • Indeed he offered no resistance when the "Brigands" stole the government chests.

    Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe

British Dictionary definitions for chest

chest

/ (tʃɛst) /


noun
    • the front part of the trunk from the neck to the belly: Related adjective: pectoral

    • (as modifier): a chest cold

  1. get something off one's chest informal to unburden oneself of troubles, worries, etc, by talking about them

  1. a box, usually large and sturdy, used for storage or shipping: a tea chest

  2. Also: chestful the quantity a chest holds

  3. rare

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

    • the funds so deposited

  4. a sealed container or reservoir for a gas: a wind chest; a steam chest

Origin of chest

1
Old English cest, from Latin cista wooden box, basket, from Greek kistē box

Derived forms of chest

  • chested, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with chest

chest

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.