rotator cuff

noun

: a supporting and strengthening structure of the shoulder joint that is made up of the capsule of the shoulder joint blended with tendons and muscles as they pass to the capsule or across it to insert on the head of the humerus

Examples of rotator cuff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jones has strained his right shoulder and incurred a small partial thickness tear in his rotator cuff, he is expected to miss between two-to-four weeks. —Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

Advertisement Yamamoto left his next start early because of a rotator cuff strain and did not return until September. —Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024

Repetitive heavy lifting Repetitive overhead reaching Shoulder Impingement Syndrome Shoulder impingement syndrome (rotator cuff tendonitis) happens when the tendons in your shoulder get squeezed under a bony part of the shoulder blade called the acromion. —Sarah Jividen, Health, 11 Oct. 2024

The Sparrow robotic arm can deal with repetition far better than a 50-year-old’s rotator cuff might. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

rotator cuff

noun

-ˌkəf 

: a supporting and strengthening structure of the shoulder joint that is made up of part of its capsule blended with tendons of the subscapularis, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, and teres minor muscles as they pass to the capsule or across it to insert on the humerus

called also musculotendinous cuff