chest

American  

[chest] / tʃɛst /

noun

1. Anatomy. the trunk of the body from the neck to the abdomen; thorax.

2. a box, usually with a lid, for storage, safekeeping of valuables, etc..

   a toy chest; a jewelry chest.

3. the place where the funds of a public institution or charitable organization are kept; treasury; coffer.

4. the funds themselves.

5. a box in which certain goods, as tea, are packed for transit.

6. the quantity contained in such a box.

   a chest of spices.

7. chest of drawers.

8. a small cabinet, especially one hung on a wall, for storage, as of toiletries and medicines.

   a medicine chest.

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idioms

1. get (something) off one's chest, to relieve oneself of (problems, troubling thoughts, etc.) by revealing them to someone.

2. play it close to the chest. vest.

chest British  

/ tʃɛst /

noun

1. 1. the front part of the trunk from the neck to the belly

   2. ( as modifier )

      a chest cold

2. informal to unburden oneself of troubles, worries, etc, by talking about them

3. a box, usually large and sturdy, used for storage or shipping

   a tea chest

4. Also: chestful.  the quantity a chest holds

5. rare

   1. the place in which a public or charitable institution deposits its funds

   2. the funds so deposited

6. a sealed container or reservoir for a gas

   a wind chest

   a steam chest

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chest More Idioms  

1. see off one's chest; play one's cards close to one's chest.

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Other Word Forms

• chested adjective
• chestful noun

Etymology

Origin of chest

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cest, cist, from Latin cista, from Greek kístē “box”

Example Sentences

If a question is long or laden with metaphoric speech — “feeling blue,” “get it off your chest” — the time required only expands.

From Los Angeles Times

Who feels my heart pounding in my chest.

From Literature

She turns her phone to show us a photo of a long-haired black dog with a tuft of white hair on his chest.

From Literature

Clare draped his cloak over his chest, then removed his monocle and placed it on the ground.

From Literature

“If a patient has no complaints like chest pain they don’t need catheterization and don’t need a stent,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• breast
• heart
• rib cage