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chest

Syllabification: (chest)
Pronunciation: /CHest/

Translate chest | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of chest

noun

  • 1the front surface of a person’s or animal’s body between the neck and the abdomen.
  • the whole of a person’s upper trunk, especially with reference to physical size:a 42-inch chest
  • 2a large strong box, typically made of wood and used for storage or shipping:an oak chest
  • a small cabinet for medicines, toiletries, etc.:the medicine chest
  • short for chest of drawers.
  • British the treasury or financial resources of some institutions:the university chest

Phrases

get something off one's chest

informal say something that one has wanted to say for a long time, resulting in a feeling of relief.

play (or keep) one's cards close to one's chest (or vest)

informal be secretive and cautious about one’s intentions.

Derivatives

chested

adjective
[in combination]:a bare-chested youth

Origin:

Old English cest, cyst, related to Dutch kist and German Kiste, based on Greek kistē 'box'

chest in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of chest in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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