breaststroke

American  

[brest-strohk, bres-] / ˈbrɛstˌstroʊk, ˈbrɛs- /

noun

1. Swimming. a stroke made in the prone position, in which both hands move simultaneously forward, outward, and rearward from in front of the chest while the legs move in a frog kick.

---

verb (used without object)

breaststroked, breaststroking

1. to swim using the breaststroke.

breaststroke British  

/ ˈbrɛstˌstrəʊk /

noun

1. a swimming stroke in which the arms are extended in front of the head and swept back on either side while the legs are drawn up beneath the body and thrust back together

---

Other Word Forms

• breaststroker noun

Etymology

Origin of breaststroke

First recorded in 1865–70; breast + stroke ¹

Example Sentences

The complaint was dismissed and the teenager went on to win gold in the 200-meter breaststroke.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

French swim star Leon Marchand out-dueled Denis Petrashov to win the 200m breaststroke at the Austin Pro Swim Series on Saturday, closing out the meeting with his third victory of the week.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

American Skylar Smith won the women's 50m breaststroke in 30.43, 33-hundredths of a second in front of reigning 100m breaststroke world champion Anna Elendt.

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

"It was utter shock," says Goodburn, who reached the semi-finals of the 50m and the 100m breaststroke at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025

She slips through my grasp and breaks into a breaststroke, clean and strong.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven