Breasting

a piece of leather or other material for covering the heel breast of a shoe.
Anatomy, Zoology. (in bipeds) the outer, front part of the thorax, or the front part of the body from the neck to the abdomen; chest.
Zoology. the corresponding part in quadrupeds.
either of the pair of mammae occurring on the chest in humans and having a discrete areola around the nipple, especially the mammae of the female after puberty, which are enlarged and softened by hormonally influenced mammary-gland development and fat deposition and which secrete milk after the birth of a child: the breasts of males normally remain rudimentary.
the part of a garment that covers the chest.
the bosom conceived of as the center of emotion:
What anger lay in his breast when he made that speech?
a projection from a wall, as part of a chimney.
any surface or part resembling or likened to the human breast.
Mining. the face or heading at which the work is going on.
Metallurgy.

the front of an open-hearth furnace.
the clay surrounding the taphole of a cupola.

Nautical.

breast line.
a rounded bow.

to meet or oppose boldly; confront:
As a controversial public figure he has breasted much hostile criticism.
to contend with or advance against:
The ship breasted the turbulent seas.
to climb or climb over (a mountain, obstacle, etc.).
to overcome, succeed against.
to come alongside or abreast of.
breast in, Nautical. to bind (an object, as a boatswain’s chair) securely under a projection, as the flare of a bow.
breast off, Nautical.

to thrust (a vessel) sideways from a wharf.
to keep (a vessel) away from a wharf by means of timbers.

beat one’s breast, to display one’s grief, remorse, etc., in a loud and demonstrative manner.
make a clean breast of, to confess everything (of which one is guilty):
You’ll feel better if you make a clean breast of it.
Historical Examples

Argentina W. A. Hirst
Frank Roscoe’s Secret Allen Chapman
Dog Breaking William Nelson Hutchinson
Howards End E. M. Forster
The Covered Wagon Emerson Hough
The Shooting of Dan McGrew, A Novel Marvin Dana
The Blue Flower, and Others Henry van Dyke
A Poor Wise Man Mary Roberts Rinehart
The Second War with England, Vol. 1 of 2 J. T. Headley.
The Divine Fire May Sinclair

noun
the front part of the body from the neck to the abdomen; chest
either of the two soft fleshy milk-secreting glands on the chest in sexually mature human females adjective mammary
a similar organ in certain other mammals
anything that resembles a breast in shape or position: the breast of the hill
a source of nourishment: the city took the victims to its breast
the source of human emotions
the part of a garment that covers the breast
a projection from the side of a wall, esp that formed by a chimney
(mining) the face being worked at the end of a tunnel
beat one’s breast, to display guilt and remorse publicly or ostentatiously
make a clean breast of, to make a confession of
verb (transitive)
to confront boldly; face: breast the storm
to oppose with the breast or meet at breast level: breasting the waves
to come alongside of: breast the ship
to reach the summit of: breasting the mountain top
n.

see:

keep abreast of
make a clean breast of