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View synonyms for breast

breast

[brest]

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.



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.

breast

/ 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

“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

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

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • breastless adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of breast1

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

Origin of breast1

Old English brēost ; related to Old Norse brjōst , Old High German brust , Dutch borst , Swedish bräss , Old Irish brū belly, body
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Idioms and Phrases

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.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Vizzoni is a former brand strategist and breast cancer survivor who has also modeled mastectomy bras for Victoria’s Secret.

But customers are skipping drumsticks, breasts and thighs, reaching instead for sandwiches and tenders that have made Chick-fil-A, Dave’s Hot Chicken and Raising Cane’s some of the industry’s fastest-growing brands.

But unlike breast cancer, there is currently no national screening programme for prostate cancer.

Read more on BBC

On one occasion, Nada says Mr Karagoz took her behind a curtain to get nappies for her son where "he tried to touch my breasts".

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Mari said her younger sister, Lisa, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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

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