breastbone

[ brest-bohn ]

/ ˈbrɛstˌboʊn /

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noun

the sternum.

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Origin of breastbone

before 1000; Middle English brust-bon, Old English brēostbān. See breast, bone

Words nearby breastbone

break with, bream, breast, breast beam, breast-beating, breastbone, breast drill, breasted, breast-feed, breasting, breast line

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use breastbone in a sentence

Robots can plant seeds and harvest crops, separate breastbones and carcasses in slaughterhouses, pack pallets of food in processing facilities.
Millions of Americans Have Lost Jobs in the Pandemic—And Robots and AI Are Replacing Them Faster Than Ever|Alana Semuels|August 6, 2020|Time
Cut off the feet of a chicken, break the breastbone flat, but be careful not to break the skin.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode|Harriet A. de Salis
He hit Ling on the lower end of the breastbone, where his belly would be softest.
The Devil's Asteroid|Manly Wade Wellman
Margaret gave a cry; the light was shining on bones—a white breastbone with the ribs attached, and larger bones near.
East Angels|Constance Fenimore Woolson

The rib cage includes the breastbone and twelve pairs of ribs.
Physiology|Ernest G. Martin
Each of the guests was given a little breastbone and no more, but this to them was a very great piece of meat.
Eskimo Folktales|Unknown

British Dictionary definitions for breastbone

breastbone

/ (ˈbrɛstˌbəʊn) /

noun

the nontechnical name for sternum

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

Scientific definitions for breastbone

breastbone

[ brĕst′bōn′ ]

See sternum.