breech
Americannoun
-
breeches
plural
-
the lower, rear part of the trunk of the body; buttocks.
-
the hinder or lower part of anything.
-
Ordnance. the rear part of the bore of a gun, especially the opening and associated mechanism that permits insertion of a projectile.
-
Machinery. the end of a block or pulley farthest from the supporting hook or eye.
-
Nautical. the outside angle of a knee in the frame of a ship.
verb (used with object)
-
Ordnance. to fit or furnish (a gun) with a breech.
-
to clothe with breeches.
noun
-
the lower dorsal part of the human trunk; buttocks; rump
-
the lower part or bottom of something
the breech of the bridge
-
the lower portion of a pulley block, esp the part to which the rope or chain is secured
-
the part of a firearm behind the barrel or bore
-
obstetrics short for breech delivery
verb
-
to fit (a gun) with a breech
-
archaic to clothe in breeches or any other clothing
Usage
Breech is sometimes wrongly used as a verb where breach is meant: the barrier/agreement was breached (not breeched )
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of breech
First recorded before 1000; Middle English breeche, Old English brēc, plural of brōc; cognate with Old Norse brōk, Old High German bruoh
Explanation
A breech is an opening in a gun where bullets are loaded. If you’re battling armed zombies, remember that the breech is in the rear. Speaking of rears, in a breech birth, a baby comes out feet, or rear, first. Guns or rifles can either be loaded from the back part — called the breech — or from the front — called the muzzle. Most modern guns are loaded from the breech end. And if you’re single-handedly fighting a zombie army, you’d better hope your weapon is breech-loading; it’s much safer and faster to load a gun from the breech.
Vocabulary lists containing breech
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Quiz yourself on these words spoken by the man at the center of the "Laurel" / "Yanny" craze!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Commonly Confused Words, List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Howitzers are put together from metal subsystems, such as the barrel, the breech mechanism the shell is loaded into and hydraulics that reduce recoil when artillery fires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The baby was breech, which upped the anguish and the risk during delivery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2023
A spokesperson for Secamb: "We offer our sincere condolences to Mr and Mrs Trott and we welcome any changes to national breech birth guidance aimed at improving maternity care."
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2023
In a quick response, the U.S. team member told the Ukrainian to remove the gun’s breech at the rear of the howitzer and manually prime the firing pin so the gun could fire.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 28, 2023
If I can’t quite get the hang of poverty-chastity-and-obedience, I can learn instead about vermifuges, breech deliveries, arrow wounds, gangrene, and elephantiasis.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Reynolds shows a flamboyant cavalryman, leaning on his sword, his red coat unbuttoned to show his cream waistcoat and breeches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Broecker and his team created roughly 200 costumes for the episode, including a ruffled collar and breeches Grande wore to portray a traumatized castrato and a prosthetic bustline for her turn as Jennifer Coolidge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2025
"Court dress is velvet coat and breeches, with cut steel buttons, a ruffle and a white waistcoat," says Sir Simon.
From BBC ● May 4, 2023
The Comédie-Française’s actors undoubtedly look good in knee breeches, but you’d be hard-pressed to know what they, or Delétang, make of the revolution based on this production.
From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2023
The other men were dressed more simply—in breeches and stained white shirts.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
