sternum

noun

ster·​num ˈstər-nəm 

plural sternums or sterna ˈstər-nə 

: a compound ventral bone or cartilage of most vertebrates other than fishes that connects the ribs or the shoulder girdle or both and in humans consists of the manubrium, gladiolus, and xiphoid process

called also breastbone

Examples of sternum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The underwire does not cause bruising or divots on my sternum. —Andrea Jordan, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025

The design, which debuted in the house's Fall/Winter 2025 collection, featured off-the-shoulder sleeves and a sheer overlay with a large rose motif, giving off the impression that Saldaña got a huge floral tattoo on her sternum. —Michelle Lee, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Behind the soldier, sticking out from a wall, an army of bones had risen: Where once there were men, now there were ribs, fragments of sternum, pieces of vertebrae and teeth, everything sticking out from the earth. —Malcolm Hillgartner Tanya Pérez Lance Neal, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

Eager to see the man’s heart, House pushes Foreman to plunge a whirring saw into the patient’s sternum. —Samuel Ashworth, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek sternon chest, breastbone; akin to Old High German stirna forehead, Latin sternere to spread out — more at strew

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

sternum

noun

ster·​num ˈstər-nəm 

plural sternums or sterna -nə 

: a flat narrow piece of bone or cartilage in the chest that connects the ribs in most vertebrates other than fishes

called also breastbone

Medical Definition

sternum

noun

ster·​num ˈstər-nəm 

plural sternums or sterna -nə 

: a compound ventral bone or cartilage that lies in the median central part of the body of most vertebrates above fishes and that in humans is about seven inches (18 centimeters) long, consists in the adult of three parts, and connects with the clavicles and the cartilages of the upper seven pairs of ribs

called also breastbone