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

Tuck shoulder blades in and down, body vertical, knees bent if needed. —Gretchen Reynolds, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026

Stand tall, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and walk for 30-60 seconds. —Jakob Roze, Health, 31 Dec. 2025

Roll it from just below your shoulder blades down towards your hips, and repeat as desired. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025

Choose from the ultra sophisticated suits, such as ‘The Fonz,’ a men’s chocolate brown Kahlua piped in royal blue Taslan nylon suit with Dacron needlepunch insulation and a Lycra action stretch insert down the shoulder blades. —The Editors, Outside, 20 Dec. 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