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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  
/ brĕst′bōn′ /
  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.

See Examples For:

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

But a groundbreaking operation, which required his breastbone to be split open, saved his career and enabled him to represent England again and win the Premiership with Saracens in 2023.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2024

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

It was as if a car had hit her at full speed, in the tender place between the lower tip of the breastbone and the belly button.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

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