shoulder blade

noun

plural shoulder blades

: either of a pair of large, flat, triangular-shaped bones that lie above the rib cage on either side of the upper back : scapula

a fractured shoulder blade

He has a wing-shaped tribal tattoo between his shoulder blades.

—Cliff Mehrtens

… types who didn't wash and grew hair to their shoulder blades.

—Curtis W. Casewit

Examples of shoulder blade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Along with this pain came shortness of breath, chest pain, deep pain in my right shoulder blade, constipation, hip/groin pain, brain fog, and heavy fatigue. —Jenneh Rishe, Health, 4 Mar. 2025

My eyes drifted between the streets, vigilant for potholes, and the curve of Guillaume’s shoulder blades under a heather gray T-shirt. —Caitlin Gunther, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

With about a half a minute to go in a rough-and-tumble second stanza, Traven, up 5-0 on points, rolled one of Weber’s shoulder blades to the mat. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2025

Bring your arms directly out to the sides, bringing your shoulder blades together. —Amy Marturana Winderl, SELF, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shoulder blade

• accolade
• ambuscade
• antegrade
• balustrade
• barricade
• cannonade
• cavalcade
• centigrade
• chambermaid
• colonnade
• countertrade
• disobeyed

Kids Definition

shoulder blade

noun

: the flat triangular bone of the back of the shoulder that forms a joint with the humerus of the upper arm

called also scapula

Medical Definition

shoulder blade

noun

: scapula