abreast
/əˈbɹɛst/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.95 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
Side by side and facing forward.
adv
adv
Side by side; also, opposite; on a line with the vessel's beam.
adj
Example Sentences
- "On Sunday afternoon it was as dark as night, with barely room for two riders abreast on a gradient that touches 20%."
- "The only path was narrow and rugged: two men could hardly walk abreast;"
- "She believes it is important to keep abreast of new scientific developments."
- "The west wind blew a tempest, and, according to the common expression, brought in the water [of the Solway] three foot abreast."
- "Abreast therewith began a convocation."
- "to keep abreast of [or with] the present state of science"
Etymology
From Middle English abrest. By surface analysis, a- (“on, at”) + breast, meaning “breasts (chests) in line, side-by-side and exactly equally advanced”; roughly “breast-by-breast”.