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breastbone

American  
[brest-bohn] / ˈbrɛstˌboʊn /

noun

  1. the sternum.


breastbone British  
/ ˈbrɛstˌbəʊn /

noun

  1. 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

breastbone Scientific  
/ brĕstbōn′ /
  1. See sternum


Etymology

Origin of breastbone

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

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.

Other options include a “J-incision aortic valve replacement” that he developed involving an incision of about 3 inches in the breastbone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Vanellope still has no breastbone, leaving her heart covered by just by a thin layer of skin.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2025

Spatchcocking involves using kitchen shears to cut out the backbone of the turkey and flipping it breast side up, pushing on that breastbone hard to crack it, allowing the turkey to lie flat.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2023

One evening, mid-dream, Merrell threw himself into a corner of a nightstand, breaking his skin but narrowly missing his breastbone.

From Scientific American • Jan. 24, 2023

He lunged, and his stick struck my breastbone painfully.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood