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

Keeping your spine straight and core engaged, pull the band toward your face and squeeze your shoulder blades together. —Jenessa Connor, Health, 11 Mar. 2026

Pain exploded in his lower left shoulder blade. —Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026

That Givenchy dress, with its inventive shoulder blade cutouts, is just one part of her now-iconic ensemble. —Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 25 Feb. 2026

But women, more than men, are more likely to experience the painful pressure in other places, such as the upper back, neck, jaw and shoulder blades. —Nadine Avola, Flow Space, 19 Feb. 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