breastbone
Americannoun
noun
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.
Then the dusty elephant with those arched and dome-like toenails that is standing on my breastbone is lighter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Through scans, the doctors found out that the parasitic twin was attached to the teen's breastbone and was being supplied blood from a vessel in his chest.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025
It was hard to cut through the backbone and impossible to crack the breastbone down.
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
Shakily, he daubed circles on his heels, breastbone and forehead, As he finished the one on his forehead, he shut his eyes.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
