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breaststroke

American  
[brest-strohk, bres-] / ˈbrɛstˌstroʊk, ˈbrɛs- /

noun

  1. Swimming. a stroke made in the prone position, in which both hands move simultaneously forward, outward, and rearward from in front of the chest while the legs move in a frog kick.

verb (used without object)

breaststroked, breaststroking

  1. to swim using the breaststroke.

breaststroke British  
/ ˈbrɛstˌstrəʊk /

noun

  1. a swimming stroke in which the arms are extended in front of the head and swept back on either side while the legs are drawn up beneath the body and thrust back together

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • breaststroker noun

Etymology

Origin of breaststroke

First recorded in 1865–70; breast + stroke 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He alternated between doing the crawl, which was fastest, and the breaststroke, which was slower but allowed him to see where he was going and to see what else was floating toward him.

From Literature

"At this time, you know, the waves are massive, and I have no life jacket on. So anyway, I just keep swimming. I do breaststroke. I do freestyle. Survival backstroke."

From Barron's

The complaint was dismissed and the teenager went on to win gold in the 200-meter breaststroke.

From Los Angeles Times

She is the youngest medallist at a major international competition since Denmark's Inge Sorensen won a bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 1936 Olympics, less than a month after her 12th birthday.

From BBC

The Scottish 50m breaststroke record holder was dreaming of the Paris Olympics but his training had been hindered by some unusual factors.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.