Library / English Dictionary

BREAST

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The part of an animal's body that corresponds to a person's chest

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("breast" is a kind of...):

external body part (any body part visible externally)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen

Example:

he beat his breast in anger

Synonyms:

breast; chest

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("breast" is a kind of...):

external body part (any body part visible externally)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "breast"):

bosom (a person's breast or chest)

Holonyms ("breast" is a part of...):

chest; pectus; thorax (the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates)

Derivation:

breast (meet at breast level)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on the chest of a woman

Synonyms:

boob; bosom; breast; knocker; tit; titty

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("breast" is a kind of...):

mamma; mammary gland (milk-secreting organ of female mammals)

Meronyms (parts of "breast"):

lactiferous duct (ducts of the mammary gland that carry milk to the nipple)

areola; ring of color (small circular area such as that around the human nipple or an inflamed area around a pimple or insect bite)

Holonyms ("breast" is a part of...):

adult female body; woman's body (the body of an adult woman)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Meat carved from the breast of a fowl

Synonyms:

breast; white meat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("breast" is a kind of...):

helping; portion; serving (an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal)

Holonyms ("breast" is a part of...):

chicken; poulet; volaille (the flesh of a chicken used for food)

turkey (flesh of large domesticated fowl usually roasted)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Confront bodily

Example:

breast the storm

Synonyms:

breast; front

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "breast" is one way to...):

confront; face (oppose, as in hostility or a competition)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Reach the summit (of a mountain)

Example:

Many mountaineers go up Mt. Everest but not all summit

Synonyms:

breast; summit

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "breast" is one way to...):

arrive at; attain; gain; hit; make; reach (reach a destination, either real or abstract)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Meet at breast level

Example:

The runner breasted the tape

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "breast" is one way to...):

converge; meet (be adjacent or come together)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

breast (the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A rare type of breast cancer that often can be treated successfully.

(Medullary breast carcinoma, NCI Dictionary)

An infiltrating breast carcinoma with a relatively favorable prognosis.

(Medullary breast carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

My mother dead tells the tale of his wrong; a Russian, dead with a spear through breast and back, tells the tale of the vengeance of Kinoos.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

“My man,” she said, looking at me for an instant with tremulous lids which fluttered down and veiled her eyes as she snuggled her head against my breast with a happy little sigh.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

He was dressed in a single-breasted black coat buttoned up, a pair of leather pantaloons stretched tightly across his broad thighs, polished Hessian boots, and a huge white neckcloth.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A representative example of the latter is the metaplastic breast carcinoma in which the malignant glandular cells show squamous, spindle cell, or chondroid/osseous differentiation.

(Metaplastic carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

The man sat huddled up in his chair, with his head sunk upon his breast, like one who is utterly crushed.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Holmes sat motionless by the fire, his hands buried deep in his trouser pockets, his chin sunk upon his breast, his eyes fixed upon the glowing embers.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This includes whether you are at risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, or breast cancer.

(Menopause, Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health)

Critics have claimed that hormones used as growth promotants in cattle may cause breast cancer.

(Melengestrol, NCI Thesaurus)