# abreast

> English word · Adverb · IPA /əˈbɹɛst/ · frequency rank #30,670

## Definitions
1. Side by side and facing forward.
2. Alongside; parallel to.
3. Informed, well-informed, familiar, acquainted.
4. Followed by of or with: up to a certain level or line; equally advanced.
5. Breast high (of an advancing wave).
6. Side by side; also, opposite; on a line with the vessel's beam.
7. At the same time; simultaneously.

## Etymology
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”.

## Easily confused with
- **arrest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abreast-vs-arrest)

## Common misspellings (10)
`abbreast`, `aberast`, `abraest`, `abreasst`, `abreastt`, `abreats`, `abresat`, `abrreast`, `arbeast`, `bareast`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/abreast