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Synonyms

thorax

American  
[thawr-aks, thohr-] / ˈθɔr æks, ˈθoʊr- /

noun

plural

thoraxes, thoraces

  1. Anatomy. the part of the trunk in humans and higher vertebrates between the neck and the abdomen, containing the cavity, enclosed by the ribs, sternum, and certain vertebrae, in which the heart, lungs, etc., are situated; chest.

  2. Zoology. a corresponding part in other animals.

  3. (in insects) the portion of the body between the head and the abdomen.

thorax British  
/ ˈθɔːræks /

noun

  1. the part of the human body enclosed by the ribs

  2. the corresponding part in other vertebrates

  3. the part of an insect's body between the head and abdomen, which bears the wings and legs

"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
thorax Scientific  
/ thôr′ăks′ /

plural

thoraxes

  1. The upper part of the trunk in vertebrate animals. The thorax includes the rib cage, which encloses the heart and lungs. In mammals, the thorax lies above the abdomen and below the neck.

  2. The middle division of the body of an insect, to which the wings and legs are attached. The thorax lies between the head and the abdomen.

thorax Cultural  

  1. The part of the body between the neck and diaphragm; the chest.

Etymology

Origin of thorax

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin thōrāx < Greek thṓrāx breastplate, part of body which this covers

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.

They’re mostly black except for yellow splotches on the top of their thorax and heads.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 24, 2023

Some drones got little paper tags containing an individual code as well as a code for the orientation on the thorax.

From Science Daily • Oct. 11, 2023

Then the researchers studied each specimen directly and took a piece of its thorax for DNA sequencing.

From Scientific American • Mar. 8, 2023

Another intern taught her how to spread the jam evenly, monitor the drying process, then use tweezers to assemble the head, thorax, abdomen and wings.

From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2023

In some mutants, whole segments of the embryo disappeared, or the thorax or abdominal compartments were drastically shortened—analogous to a human fetus born with no middle or with no hind segment.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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.