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abreast

 - 3 dictionary results

a⋅breast

  [uh-brest]
Use abreast in a Sentence
–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 fol. 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. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To abreast
a·breast   (ə-brěst')   
adv.  

  1. Side by side: ships docked two abreast.

  2. Up to date: keeping abreast of the latest developments.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

abreast 
c.1450, 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 1655.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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