noun
chest
chehst
noun
1
The front part of the body between the neck and the stomach, containing the ribs, heart, and lungs.
"He clutched his chest after running up the stairs."
"The doctor listened to her chest with a stethoscope."
2
A large, sturdy box with a lid, used for storage.
"They kept old blankets in a wooden chest at the foot of the bed."
3
A chest of drawers — a piece of furniture with stacked drawers for clothing.
"His socks were in the top drawer of the chest."
How to Use Chest
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the front of your torso (where your heart and lungs are) or a large storage box.
Common pairings
chest pain
chest of drawers
treasure chest
broad chest
Word Forms
chested past tense, chests plural, chests plural, chests singular
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Etymology
From Old English cest, "box," ultimately from Latin cista and Greek kiste — originally always meant a storage box; the body-part sense developed later by comparing the ribcage to a box.