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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The tap-tap-tap hammering up and down my spine and around my shoulder blades actually soothed me nearly to sleep. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026 Paramedics were told by police that Cannata had a gunshot wound to the head, but doctors at HCA Florida Aventura Hospital later confirmed three gunshot wounds, including an entry and exit wound in the right shoulder blade and a wound in the leg, according to the lawsuit. Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026 Squeeze behind your shoulder blades at the top of the movement and lower the weight with control back to the starting position. Jakob Roze, Health, 21 Apr. 2026 To recast a three-quarter-length body as a pyramid, a favorite Renaissance shape, Raphael repeatedly files down the shoulder blades and turns their supporting muscle into a long sloping line, which dives from neck to arm. Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoulder blade

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shoulder blade was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Shoulder blade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoulder%20blade. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.

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

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