abreast
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
abreast
- /əˈbɹɛst/
Rhymes with -ɛst
Where it comes from
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”.
adverb
- Side by side and facing forward. I considered the matter a moment, and then up stairs we went, and I was ushered into a small room, cold as a clam, and furnished, sure enough, with a prodigious bed, almost big enough indeed for any four harpooneers to sleep abreast."
- Alongside; parallel to. On Sunday afternoon it was as dark as night, with barely room for two riders abreast on a gradient that touches 20%.
-
Informed, well-informed, familiar, acquainted.
Similar: apprised, informed, up to date, up-to-date
- Followed by of or with: up to a certain level or line; equally advanced. She believes it is important to keep abreast of new scientific developments.
- Breast high (of an advancing wave). The west wind blew a tempest, and, according to the common expression, brought in the water [of the Solway] three foot abreast.
- Side by side; also, opposite; on a line with the vessel's beam.
- At the same time; simultaneously. Abreast therewith began a convocation.
adjective
- Side by side, facing forward.
- Alongside; parallel to.
- Informed, well-informed, familiar, acquainted.
- Up to a certain level or line; equally advanced to keep abreast of [or with] the present state of science
- Side by side; also, opposite; over against; on a line with the vessel's beam. For quotations using this term, see Citations:abreast.
preposition
- Abreast of; alongside. This ship sank abreast the island.
Translations
Every language
adv informed
| Español | al corriente |
|---|---|
| Português | bem informado |
| Français | au courant |
| Deutsch | auf dem Laufenden |
| Italiano | aggiornato, al passo, al corrente |
| Ελληνικά | δίπλα-δίπλα dípla-dípla |
adv up to a certain level or line
| Deutsch | Schritt, auf dem Laufenden, auf der Höhe |
|---|
adv side by side
| Español | de lado a lado, lado a lado, a fondo, a la altura de |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 並排 /并排 bìngpái, 並肩 /并肩 bìngjiān |
| Português | lado a lado |
| Français | côte à côte |
| Deutsch | beieinander, nebeneinander, Seite an Seite |
| Italiano | affiancato, di pari passo |
| Русский | бок о́ бок bok ó bok, ря́дом rjádom |
adv nautical: side by side; also, opposite; over against; on a line with the vessel's beam
| Deutsch | auf gleicher Höhe |
|---|---|
| Italiano | al traverso |
| Русский | на тра́верзе na tráverze, борт о́ борт bort ó bort |
Talk about this word "abreast." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/abreast. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. abreast. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/abreast "abreast." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/abreast.Cite this
@misc{abreast_2026,
title = {abreast},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/abreast},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
