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

Quickly pull the band apart while squeezing your shoulder blades together. — Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 26 July 2026

Pair chin tucks with shoulder blade squeezes to counteract the forward hunch. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026

Pairing chin tucks and shoulder blade squeezes with physical therapy tends to increase effectiveness, and starting early keeps mild stiffness from turning into disc or joint degeneration later. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026

Luna Duran, whose brown hair hangs almost to her knees, waited there, with hooks installed in the flesh on her thin shoulder blades. — Lauren Oyler, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

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