breech

American  

[breech, breech, brich] / britʃ, britʃ, brɪtʃ /

noun

• breeches
  plural

1. the lower, rear part of the trunk of the body; buttocks.

2. the hinder or lower part of anything.

3. Ordnance. the rear part of the bore of a gun, especially the opening and associated mechanism that permits insertion of a projectile.

4. Machinery. the end of a block or pulley farthest from the supporting hook or eye.

5. Nautical. the outside angle of a knee in the frame of a ship.

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verb (used with object)

1. Ordnance. to fit or furnish (a gun) with a breech.

2. to clothe with breeches.

breech British  

noun

1. the lower dorsal part of the human trunk; buttocks; rump

2. the lower part or bottom of something

   the breech of the bridge

3. the lower portion of a pulley block, esp the part to which the rope or chain is secured

4. the part of a firearm behind the barrel or bore

5. obstetrics short for breech delivery

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verb

1. to fit (a gun) with a breech

2. 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

• unbreeched
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• breeches
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

breech breeches

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

This is known as a breech birth and is rare.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2025

In a police report reviewed by The Times, the patient described going to a gynecologist in 2020 to have him “flip” a breech baby.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2024

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

“I see. Ball lodged in the breech, sir?” he asked.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

His red coat with black trim, red waistcoat with hand-stitched buttonholes and gold regimental buttons, and white breeches “represent the only complete uniform of the Revolutionary war.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

He wears a fashionable doublet, breeches, stockings, chunky strapped shoes and a tall felt hat with a buckle in the hatband.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 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 massive thighs which emerged from out of the smock were encased in a pair of extraordinary breeches, bottle-green in colour and made of coarse twill.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

• attire
• bundle up
• cloak
• disguise
• do up
• drape
• dress
• dress up
• equip
• fit
• swaddle
• swathe