FromMiddle Englishabrest. Bysurface analysis,a-(“on, at”) +breast, meaning “breasts (chests) in line, side-by-side and exactly equally advanced”;[1] roughly “breast-by-breast”.
abreast (notcomparable)
- Side by side and facingforward.[First attested from around (1350 to 1470.)][2]
- Hyponym:neck and neck(as horses racing)
- Coordinate term:tandem
2012 July 15, Richard Williams, “Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track”, inGuardian Unlimited[1]:On Sunday afternoon it was as dark as night, with barely room for two ridersabreast on a gradient that touches 20%.
- (figurative) Alongside; parallel to.[First attested in the mid 17th century.][2]
- Informed, well-informed, familiar, acquainted.[First attested in the mid 17th century.][2]
- Followed byof orwith: up to a certain level or line;equally advanced.[First attested in the mid 17th century.][2]
She believes it is important to keepabreast of new scientific developments.
- (Scotland) 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 footabreast.
- (nautical) Side by side; also, opposite; on a line with thevessel's beam.[First attested in the late 17th century.][2]
- (obsolete) At the same time;simultaneously.
1842,Thomas Fuller,The Church History of Britain, From the birth of Jesus Christ until the year MDCXLVIII., 3rd edition, volume 1, page412:Abreast therewith began a convocation.
- (nautical): Abreast is followed by the wordof.
- (alongside): Abreast is followed byof.
- (informed): Abreast is followed byof.
- (up to a certain level): Abreast is followed byof.
side by side
- Bulgarian:редом (bg)(redom),един до друг(edin do drug),на един ред(na edin red),рамо до рамо(ramo do ramo)
- Catalan:ensems (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin:並排 /并排 (zh)(bìngpái)
- Czech:bok po boku (cs),vedlesebe
- Dutch:zij aan zij,naast elkaar
- Finnish:rinnakkain (fi),vierekkäin (fi),vierivieressä
- French:côte à côte (fr)
- German:beieinander (de),nebeneinander (de),Seite an Seite
- Irish:gualainn ar ghualainn
- Italian:affiancato (it),di pari passo
- Maori:upane
- Polish:obok siebie
- Portuguese:lado a lado
- Russian:(pleaseverify)вряд(v rjad),(pleaseverify)наодно́йли́нии(na odnój línii),бок о́ бок (ru)(bok ó bok),ря́дом (ru)(rjádom)
- Scots:abreest
- Serbo-Croatian:uporedo (sh),rame uz rame
- Spanish:de lado a lado
- Turkish:yan yana (tr)
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nautical: side by side; also, opposite; over against; on a line with the vessel's beam
up to a certain level or line
Translations to be checked
abreast (notcomparable)
- Side by side, facing forward.[First attested from around (1350 to 1470.)][2]
- (figurative) Alongside; parallel to.[First attested in the mid 17th century.][2]
- Informed, well-informed, familiar, acquainted.[First attested in the mid 17th century.][2]
- Up to a certain level or line;equally advanced[First attested in the mid 17th century.][2]
to keepabreast of [or with] the present state of science
c.1900,Kate Chopin,A Reflection:Some people are born with a vital and responsive energy. It not only enables them to keepabreast of the times; it qualifies them to furnish in their own personality a good bit of the motive power to the mad pace.
- (nautical) Side by side; also, opposite; over against; on a line with thevessel's beam.[First attested in the late 17th century.][2]
abreast
- Abreast of; alongside.[3]
This ship sankabreast the island.
- “abreast”, inOneLook Dictionary Search.
- William Dwight Whitney,Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “abreast”, inThe Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.:The Century Co.,→OCLC.
- “abreast,adv.”, inThe Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh:Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present,→OCLC.
- ^Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “abreast”, inOnline Etymology Dictionary.
- ↑2.002.012.022.032.042.052.062.072.082.09Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “abreast”, inThe Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.:Oxford University Press,→ISBN, page 8.
- ^Philip Babcock Gove (editor),Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909],→ISBN), page 5
