ABREAST', adverb abrest', [from a and breast.] 1. Side by side; with the breasts in a line. Two men rode abreast 2. In marine language, ships are abreast when their heads are equally advanced; and they are abreast of objects when the objects are on a line with the beam. - Hence, Opposite; against; on a line with - as a ship was abreast of Montauk point - A seaman's phrase.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI