Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adv. Side by side: ships docked two abreast.
- adv. Up to date: keeping abreast of the latest developments.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Side by side, with breasts in a line: as, “the riders rode abreast,” Dryden.
- Nautical: Lying or moving side by side, with stems equally advanced. When used to indicate the situation of a vessel in regard to another object, opposite; over against; lying so that the object is on a line with the beam: in this sense with of.
- Figuratively, up to the same pitch or level: used with of or with: as, to keep abreast of the times in science, etc. At the same time; simultaneously.
Wiktionary
- adv. obsolete : At the same time; simultaneously
GNU Webster's 1913
- adv. Side by side, with breasts in a line.”
- adv. (Naut.) Side by side; also, opposite; over against; on a line with the vessel's beam; -- with
of . - adv. Up to a certain level or line; equally advanced.
- adv. obsolete At the same time; simultaneously.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. being up to particular standard or level especially in being up to date in knowledge
- adv. alongside each other, facing in the same direction
Etymologies
- From Middle English a ("on") + brest ("breast"), in sense “breasts (chests) in line, side-by-side and exactly equally advanced”; roughly “breast-by-breast”. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Can't a guy use the word abreast 2 : up to a particular standard or level especially of knowledge of recent developments without getting flogged?”
“But at that point, the picture began to change so rapidly that the symposium papers had to be revised for publication to remain abreast of international political developments.”
“Ticketholders were lined up four abreast from the entrance gate in a line that stretched 400 yards to Washington Road, which borders part of the property.”
USATODAY.com - Four straight majors overwhelming, even for Tiger
“Certainly, to remain abreast of the rest of the world we must make some progress.”
“After a long time, an hour or more, two other nurses marched in abreast like soldiers, with a great clumping of sabots, and knotted the corpse up in the sheets, but it was not removed till some time later.”
“As they drew in abreast, Corry recognized him and halted the dogs.”
“Finally all three dahabeeyahs ran in abreast, and moored side by side in front of a row of little open cafés just outside the town.”
“Admiral Ting formed his ships in line abreast, that is side by side with every bow towards the enemy.”
“I've seen lots of cyclists ride two abreast, which is a big no-no," he said.”
“Thanks for your promise to keep us 'abreast' LMFAO!”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘abreast’.
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When a door is ajar
Words with the prefix "a"
ajar, asleep, akin, ablaze, afoot, abed, aground, aback, afloat, alive, abaft, abloom and 91 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11250 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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AGRI - horse breeding
place bet, Przewalski's horse, piaffe, genus Claviceps, stadium jumping, draft animal, snaffle bit, noseband, equestrian sport, endurance riding, curb bit, dressage and 678 more...
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Words that sound dirty but aren't.
When you want to be pedantic AND childish.
titular, masticate, condiment, titmouse, penal, formication, social intercourse, assassination, cacophony, lucubrate, rectify, banal and 131 more...
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Malachi_Constant's Words
triumverate, pandemic, parsnip, delineate, zamboni, parka, laser, swoop, malevolent, benevolent, fracas, tipsy and 372 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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play words
words for a play
pert, vicissitude, melancholy, vexation, gaud, attestation, renunciation, wax, wrought, sunder, antipodes, reckoning and 236 more...
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Whaleworthy & Piratical Words
A list of favorite nautical words to be sprinkled liberally throughout speech for piratical or Melvillian effect.
batten down, back and fill, beamy, baulking, beckets, bilge, bold shore, boomjumper, breaker, larboard, abaft, ash breeze and 156 more...
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Yet more words
hootowling, hoot owl, midday, prohibitive, shutdown, gerund, tripe, doweling, detestable, good measure, boojum, undergirding and 167 more...
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list1
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure, ablution and 106 more...
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man gre
abase, abeyance, abreast, abscission, abscond, abyss, accede, accretion, acerbic, acidulous, acumen, adulterate and 483 more...
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cat 2012
mala fide, trafficking, impoverished, atrocity, divulge, personify, audacity, resurrect, dubious, bloated, sovereign, rein and 123 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate, amalgam and 1781 more...
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Vocabulary
My ever expanding vocabulary...
feuterer, abattoir, kibosh, sequin, shiftless, scrimshanker, sic, moniker, dogsbody, contranym, autoantonym, exhortation and 306 more...
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Words That Sound Dirty but Really Aren't
annals, assassinate, bisect, bubbly, caucus, caulk, colloquialism, concoct, condominium, congeal, congenital, convex and 131 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for abreast.
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