breastwork C2 Topic:War & Conflict US /ˈbrɛstˌwɝːk/ UK /ˈbrest.wɜːk/ See IPA manual Freq #358849 Meanings 1 noun a low defensive wall or earthwork high enough to protect a fighter's chest The troops fired from behind a breastwork of earth and sandbags. 2 noun a raised armored structure protecting vital parts of an older warship The vessel's guns and machinery were protected by a central breastwork. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a low defensive wall or... parapetrampartearthwork 2 noun · a raised armored structure... armored parapetbulwark Word family Forms breastworks Derived forms breastworks Related forms fortificationbarricaderedoubt Etymology Formed from breast + work, originally denoting defensive work built roughly breast-high. The term later also named a raised armored enclosure on certain nineteenth-century warships. Topics War & Conflict External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # breastwork **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈbrɛstˌwɝːk/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbrest.wɜːk/ **Frequency rank:** 358849 ## Meanings 1. a low defensive wall or earthwork high enough to protect a fighter's chest 2. a raised armored structure protecting vital parts of an older warship ## Examples - The troops fired from behind a breastwork of earth and sandbags. - The vessel's guns and machinery were protected by a central breastwork. ## Synonyms - parapet - rampart - earthwork - bulwark ## Derived Forms - breastworks ## Related Forms - fortification - barricade - redoubt ## Etymology Formed from breast + work, originally denoting defensive work built roughly breast-high. The term later also named a raised armored enclosure on certain nineteenth-century warships. ## Topics - War & Conflict markdown