a·breast

[uh-brest]
adverb, adjective
1.
side by side; beside each other in a line: They walked two abreast down the street.
2.
equal to or alongside in progress, attainment, or awareness (usually followed by of or with ): to keep abreast of scientific developments; keeping abreast with the times.

Origin:
1590–1600; a-1 + breast

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
abreast (əˈbrɛst) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj (foll by of or with)
1.  alongside each other and facing in the same direction
2.  up to date (with); fully conversant (with)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Abreast is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

abreast
mid-15c., on brest, from a- (1) + breast; the notion is of "with breasts in line." To keep abreast in fig. sense of "stay up-to-date" is from 1650s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
It is difficult to keep chronology and criticism abreast of each other with
  some sense of momentum and direction.
We paced the great turquoise shape, keeping abreast of the flukes as the whale
  coursed along underwater to starboard.
There are also tools you can use to stay abreast of activities on the wiki.
Its a good correlation as it suggests that these people are only interested to
  be abreast of the happenings around them.
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