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

Another common mistake people make is rounding their shoulders forward, which abducts the scapula (moves the shoulder blades apart from one another). —Jenny McCoy, SELF, 25 Aug. 2025

If the child cannot cough or make noise, deliver hard back blows between the shoulder blades. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025

Now visible on her left shoulder blade are Cyrus’s own lyrics, inked during a recent tattoo-parlor outing with her mom and sister. —Jeff Nelson, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025

Standing in an apparent tunnel while shirtless, David — who is 24, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents hostage families — appears markedly frail, his ribs and shoulder blades visible through his skin. —Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 3 Aug. 2025

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