chest

American  

[chest] / tʃɛst /

noun

• chests
  plural

1. Anatomy. the trunk of the body from the neck to the abdomen; thorax.

2. a box, usually with a lid, for storage, safekeeping of valuables, etc..

   a toy chest; a jewelry chest.

3. the place where the funds of a public institution or charitable organization are kept; treasury; coffer.

4. the funds themselves.

5. a box in which certain goods, as tea, are packed for transit.

6. the quantity contained in such a box.

   a chest of spices.

7. chest of drawers.

8. a small cabinet, especially one hung on a wall, for storage, as of toiletries and medicines.

   a medicine chest.

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idioms

1. get (something) off one's chest, to relieve oneself of (problems, troubling thoughts, etc.) by revealing them to someone.

2. play it close to the chest. vest.

chest British  

/ tʃɛst /

noun

1. 1. the front part of the trunk from the neck to the belly

   2. ( as modifier )

      a chest cold

2. informal to unburden oneself of troubles, worries, etc, by talking about them

3. a box, usually large and sturdy, used for storage or shipping

   a tea chest

4. Also: chestful. the quantity a chest holds

5. rare

   1. the place in which a public or charitable institution deposits its funds

   2. the funds so deposited

6. a sealed container or reservoir for a gas

   a wind chest

   a steam chest

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chest More Idioms  

1. see off one's chest; play one's cards close to one's chest.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chestful
  noun
• chested
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chests
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chest

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cest, cist, from Latin cista, from Greek kístē “box”

Explanation

Your chest is the part of your body from your stomach to your neck. A bodybuilder or weightlifter is distinctive not only for his huge arms, but for his big, muscular chest. The character Tarzan is known for thumping his own chest while yelling — but if Tarzan gets a bad cold, he might cough so hard that his chest aches. Another kind of chest is a storage box with a connected lid that swings open. This is the oldest meaning of chest, from the Old English cest, "box or casket." The anatomical meaning comes from the idea that the ribs form a "box" — or a chest — around the internal organs.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chest chests

Hasan will be seated in a chair with a hood placed over his head with a paper heart affixed to his chest.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

Patients quickly develop a fever and headache and feel weak, and then rapidly progress to shortness of breath, chest pain, cough and sometimes bloody or watery mucus, according to the CDC.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Robert Kelker-Kelly, the former daytime drama actor who played Bo Brady on ‘Days Of Our Lives,’ died Saturday after reportedly complaining of chest pain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

A chest tube was inserted to drain the fluid.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

He offers the bottom plank from the cedar chest that held our clothes and Bible.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Everybody would grab their ice chests and pile into cars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The place was heaving with devotees, hands clasped at their chests and lips moving.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Thousands of people across South East Asia are now feeling the effects of those emissions in their eyes, chests and throats.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Gaggles of British tourists with fur coats and spray tans jostled for seating, clutching their outerwear to their chests for space as they scouted for a table to open up.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

If you ever need a set of sheets and there ain’t none to be found, just check one of the cedar chests.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

• breast
• heart
• rib cage