breakfront

noun

break·​front ˈbrāk-ˌfrənt How to pronounce breakfront (audio)
: a large cabinet or bookcase whose center section projects beyond the flanking end sections

Illustration of breakfront

Illustration of breakfront

Examples of breakfront in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Tucked between a George II mahogany breakfront secretaire bookcase and a series of manuscript and watercolor maps showing the waterways of Venice, Clausen found a type of antiquated nautical map known as a portolan chart. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2023 The kitchen has a white-and-blue patterned ceramic tile floor, with a La Cornue range against one wall and a glass breakfront with wood trim against another. New York Times, 26 Jan. 2022 The breakfront cabinet is set against a wall of antique mirror panels, and the ceiling wallcovering is by Wolf Gordon. Bebe Howorth, ELLE Decor, 16 Apr. 2021 There was no room for my mother’s bird’s-eye breakfront, her turn-of-the-century chairs. Lizzie Skurnick, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020 Behind the dining room table is more of Offaim’s collection of glasses and pottery, stored in golden yellow cabinets that serve as a kind of casual breakfront, with olive green wainscotting set between the upper and lower cabinets. Jessica Steinberg, Bon Appetit, 8 June 2018 The order included a mahogany table, sideboard, breakfront, and 10 chairs. Emily Price, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2018 The complaint follows rumors that Donald Trump is considering removing Carson after a series of embarrassments, including the $31,000 dining set, which included a baller breakfront china cabinet. Stephen A. Crockett Jr., The Root, 20 Mar. 2018 The sideboard was $6,548, and the breakfront was the most expensive piece in the order, at $7,091. Emily Price, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breakfront.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of breakfront was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near breakfront

Cite this Entry

“Breakfront.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breakfront. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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