breech
Americannoun
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breeches
plural
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the lower, rear part of the trunk of the body; buttocks.
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the hinder or lower part of anything.
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Ordnance. the rear part of the bore of a gun, especially the opening and associated mechanism that permits insertion of a projectile.
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Machinery. the end of a block or pulley farthest from the supporting hook or eye.
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Nautical. the outside angle of a knee in the frame of a ship.
verb (used with object)
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Ordnance. to fit or furnish (a gun) with a breech.
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to clothe with breeches.
noun
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the lower dorsal part of the human trunk; buttocks; rump
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the lower part or bottom of something
the breech of the bridge
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the lower portion of a pulley block, esp the part to which the rope or chain is secured
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the part of a firearm behind the barrel or bore
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obstetrics short for breech delivery
verb
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to fit (a gun) with a breech
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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
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Commonly Confused Words, List 5
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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
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
But the court heard that despite a 31-week scan recording the baby as completely breech, three subsequent midwife examinations recorded it as being in a head down, cephalic position.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 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
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
“We were able to borrow lots of absolutely original French Revolution coats and breeches, which we then took patterns from and made copies of. We used that for mass production,” Crossman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2023
When the play begins, a troupe of actors, costumed in skirts and breeches that gesture toward the Elizabethan, are about to put on a new show, “The London Merchant.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2023
The procession is expected to arrive at the abbey at 10:53, with the King likely to wear military uniform instead of the more traditional breeches and silk stockings worn by kings before him.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2023
The fastenings were strange and felt backward, and the breeches were a little too large.
From "Ash" by Malinda Lo
Definitions 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.
