breast
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.one of the two soft parts on a woman's chest that can produce milk.
n.either of the two mammary glands on the upper anterior of the female thorax.
Simple“The doctor showed her how to check for any unusual lumps in her breast.”
In context“Early detection of abnormalities in breast tissue significantly improves the success rate of subsequent medical interventions.”
- 02 A2 Elementary
n.meat from the front part of a bird or animal, like a chicken.
n.a cut of meat from the chest of a bird or animal, valued for being lean.
Simple“She grilled a chicken breast and served it with a fresh salad.”
In context“The chef recommended poaching the turkey breast at a low temperature to ensure the meat remained moist and tender.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the front part of a person's body between the neck and the stomach.
n.the anterior surface of the human thorax.
Simple“He held the crying child close to his breast to comfort him.”
In context“The soldier clutched the locket against his breast, drawing strength from the portrait inside during the long night watch.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.your heart or inner feelings.
n.the figurative seat of one's innermost thoughts, secrets, or emotions.
Simple“Hope began to grow again within her breast after she heard the news.”
In context“The poet spoke of the dark secrets hidden within the human breast, which no law or logic could ever fully tame.”
Synonyms - 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a short way of saying the breaststroke.
n.a clipping of breaststroke, referring to the swimming style performed on the chest.
Simple“She won the gold medal in the 100-metre breast.”
In context“Despite being a strong freestyler, he struggled to maintain his pace during the breast leg of the individual medley.”
Synonymsbreaststroke - 06 C2 Proficiency
v.to reach the top of a hill or a wave.
v.to reach the crest or summit of a physical feature such as a hill or wave.
Simple“As they breasted the hill, the entire valley came into view.”
In context“The hikers finally breasted the ridge just as the first rays of sunlight began to illuminate the peaks across the canyon.”
- 07 C2 Proficiency
v.to push through or face something difficult directly.
v.to struggle against or confront an obstacle directly; to meet full on.
Simple“The small boat breasted the waves as it headed out to sea.”
In context“The explorers had to breast the icy winds for three days before reaching the safety of the base camp.”
Usage breast cancer
“For example, females have larger breasts than males on average, but some males have larger breasts than some females .”
“The actress from The Office TV series says her breast lump was tiny and not a 'lump' as such; rather a kind of hard spot.”
From Middle English brest, from Old English brēost, from Proto-West Germanic breust, from Proto-Germanic breustą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to swell”). Compare West Frisian boarst, Danish bryst, Swedish bröst; cf. also Dutch borst, German Brust.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.