breaststroke

noun breast·stroke \ ˈbres(t)-ˌstrōk \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of breaststroke

: a swimming stroke executed in a prone position by coordinating a kick in which the legs are brought forward with the knees together and the feet are turned outward and whipped back with a glide and a backward sweeping movement of the arms

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breaststroker

play \-ˌstrō-kər\ noun

See breaststroke defined for English-language learners

See breaststroke defined for kids

Examples of breaststroke in a Sentence

I'll be competing in the 50-meter breaststroke.

Recent Examples of breaststroke from the Web

Ayla Spitz didn't really blink when Newport Harbor High girls' swimming coach Brian Melstrom put her in the 100-yard breaststroke for a Sunset League showdown against Fountain Valley last month.

— matt szabo, latimes.com, "Daily Pilot High School Female Athlete of the Week: Ayla Spitz helps Newport Harbor make waves in Sunset League," 8 Apr. 2018
Emily Catrambone was sixth in 100 back and sister Lizzie Catrambone was seventh in 100 breaststroke.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "Baldino, Young brothers, each swim to a pair of state titles," 27 Feb. 2018
Collegiate freshman Alex Brehm won his first state title in the 100-yard breaststroke, beating senior teammate Grayson Schroering by less than a second.

— steve bittenbender, The Courier-Journal, "Aldan Johnston leads St. Xavier to 30th straight boys state swim title," 24 Feb. 2018
His best chance at an individual medal is likely the 100-yard breaststroke, in which he is seeded third after his 56.21 won the regional championship.

— jack marrion, Houston Chronicle, "Seven Lakes seniors Hepler, Rudd eager for state," 14 Feb. 2018
Cleburne junior Kaili Hall trimmed nearly 3 seconds off her personal record in the 100-yard breaststroke in order to qualify for this weekend’s UIL State Swimming and Diving Championships.

— eric zarate, star-telegram, "Act of vandalism at team pool spurred Cleburne swimmer to excel, all the way to state," 14 Feb. 2018
The Barracudas senior won the Greater 8 Conference title in the 100-yard breaststroke in 58.63 seconds to break the conference record of 58.99 set last season by his former teammate, Ben Attenberger.

— mark stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Prep salutes: This week's area achievements," 10 Feb. 2018
Anna Roberts Division 2: Reading | Junior, 200 IM/100 breaststrokeThe junior dominated the Division 2 state meet, winning the 100 breast, 200 IM, and then contributing to the victorius 200 medley relay and 200 free relay.

— BostonGlobe.com, "2017-18 Swimming All-Scholastics," 26 Mar. 2018
Schreiber finished ninth in Division 2 in both the individual medley and breaststroke last season.

— matt szabo, latimes.com, "High School Swimming Preview: Newport Harbor boys want to repeat as Sunset League champs," 25 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breaststroke.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of breaststroke

1866

See Words from the same year

in the meaning defined above

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BREASTSTROKE Defined for English Language Learners

breaststroke

noun

Definition of breaststroke for English Language Learners

: a way of swimming in which the swimmer's face is in the water and the arms move in a large motion from front to back as the feet kick outward; also : a race in which the swimmers do the breaststroke