# breast

> English word · Noun · IPA /bɹɛst/ · frequency rank #3,927

## Definitions
1. Either of the two organs on the front of a female human's chest, which contain the mammary glands; also the analogous organs in males.
2. The chest, or front of the human thorax.
3. A section of clothing covering the breast area.
4. The figurative seat of the emotions, feelings etc.; one’s heart or innermost thoughts.
5. The ventral portion of an animal’s thorax.
6. A choice cut of poultry, especially chicken or turkey, taken from the bird’s breast; also a cut of meat from other animals, breast of mutton, veal, pork.
7. The front or forward part of anything.
8. The upper surface of a landform or body of water.
9. The face of a coal working.
10. The front of a furnace.
11. The power of singing; a musical voice.
12. The breaststroke.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **brett** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/breast-vs-brett)
- **Brent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/breast-vs-brent)
- **brews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/breast-vs-brews)
- **Brest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/breast-vs-brest)
- **breath** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/breast-vs-breath)
- **Bryant** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/breast-vs-bryant)
- **Brexit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/breast-vs-brexit)
- **breasts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/breast-vs-breasts)
- **breasted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/breast-vs-breasted)
- **best** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/best-vs-breast)
- **beat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beat-vs-breast)
- **brat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brat-vs-breast)
- **Brea** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brea-vs-breast)
- **bast** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bast-vs-breast)
- **break** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/break-vs-breast)
- **bread** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bread-vs-breast)
- **blast** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blast-vs-breast)
- **beast** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beast-vs-breast)
- **brass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/brass-vs-breast)
- **boast** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/boast-vs-breast)

## Common misspellings (9)
`bbreast`, `berast`, `braest`, `breasst`, `breastt`, `breats`, `bresat`, `brreast`, `rbeast`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/breast