What does "breech" mean?
A garment whose purpose is to cover or clothe the buttocks.
Breech
adj, adv, noun, verb
adj, adv, noun, verb ·1 syllable ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A garment whose purpose is to cover or clothe the buttocks.
- Grammar: breech is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: afterpart, afterpiece, back, back door.
- Useful contrasts: anterior region, cephalic presentation, front region.
- Usage evidence: Last time I had a breech delivery.
How to use "breech"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "breech" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "breech" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "breech" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "breech" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "breech" is acting as adj, adv, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "afterpart" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "breech", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A garment whose purpose is to cover or clothe the buttocks. attributive, countable, historical, in-plural, uncountable
"'Lat be,' quod he, ‘it shal nat be, so theech! Thou woldest make me kisse thyn old breech, And swere it were a relik of a seint,"
- 2 opening in the rear of the barrel of a gun where bullets can be loaded wordnet
- 3 The buttocks or backside. archaic, countable, uncountable
"And he made a woman for playing the whore, sit upon a great stone, on her bare breech twenty-foure houres, onely with corne and water, every three dayes, till nine dayes were past […]"
- 4 The part of a cannon or other firearm behind the chamber. countable, uncountable
- 5 The external angle of knee timber, the inside of which is called the throat. countable, uncountable
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A breech birth. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To dress in breeches. (especially) To dress a boy in breeches or trousers for the first time (the breeching ceremony). dated, transitive
"[…] it occurred before I was breeched, and I was breeched at three years and a quarter old;"
- 2 To beat or spank on the buttocks. dated, transitive
- 3 To fit or furnish with a breech. transitive
"to breech a gun"
- 4 To fasten with breeching. transitive
- 5 To cover as if with breeches. obsolete, poetic, transitive
"Their daggers unmannerly breeched with gore."
Adjective
- 1 Born, or having been born, breech. not-comparable
Adverb
- 1 With the hips coming out before the head. not-comparable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Last time I had a breech delivery."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "breech"?
Common synonyms include: afterpart, afterpiece, back, back door, back seat, back side.
How do you use "breech" in a sentence?
Last time I had a breech delivery.
Etymology
From Middle English breche, from Old English brēċ, from Proto-Germanic *brōkiz pl, from Proto-Germanic *brōks (“clothing for loins and thighs”). Cognate with Dutch broek, Alemannic German Bruech, Swedish brok. Doublet of vraka.