breach


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to breach: anticipatory breach

breach

a violation, as of a law, obligation, or promise: a breach of trust
Not to be confused with:
breech – the lower rear portion of a human trunk; buttocks: a breech birth
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

breach

 (brēch)
n.
1.
a. An opening, tear, or rupture.
b. A gap or rift, especially in a solid structure such as a dike or fortification.
2. A violation or infraction, as of a contract, law, legal obligation, or promise.
3. A breaking up or disruption of friendly relations; an estrangement.
4. A leap of a whale from the water.
5. The breaking of waves or surf.
v. breached, breach·ing, breach·es
v.tr.
1. To make a hole or gap in; break through.
2. To break or violate (an agreement, for example).
v.intr.
1. To leap from the water: waiting for the whale to breach.
2. To develop a hole or opening. Used especially of protective embankments: The rising river caused the levee to breach.

[Middle English breche, from Old English brēc; see bhreg- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: breach, infraction, violation, transgression, trespass, infringement
These nouns denote an act or instance of breaking a law or regulation or of failing to fulfill a duty, obligation, or promise. Breach and infraction are the least specific; when applied to lawbreaking they may imply a relatively minor offense, but they are also widely used in nonlegal contexts: Revealing the secret would be a breach of trust. Their behavior amounted to an infraction of the unwritten social code. Violation generally applies to the breaking of an explicit law or rule (a traffic violation; a violation of international law); it can also imply a failing to follow a moral or ethical standard: a violation of human rights; a violation of one's privacy. Transgression and trespass most often apply to divine or moral law: "She had said that the transgression was all the more shocking because the official was charged with enforcing federal laws against sexual harassment" (Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson)."The act of torture is such an extreme trespass against the laws of war that it may seem beside the point to wonder whether any other forms of wrongdoing have been carried out" (Elaine Scarry).
Infringement is most frequently used to denote encroachment on another's rights: "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom" (William Pitt the Younger).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

breach

(briːtʃ)
n
1. a crack, break, or rupture
2. a breaking, infringement, or violation of a promise, obligation, etc
3. any severance or separation: there was a breach between the two factions of the party.
4. (Military) a gap in an enemy's fortifications or line of defence created by bombardment or attack
5. (Zoology) the act of a whale in breaking clear of the water
6. (Physical Geography) the breaking of sea waves on a shore or rock
7. (Pathology) an obsolete word for wound1
vb
8. (tr) to break through or make an opening, hole, or incursion in
9. (Zoology) (tr) to break a promise, law, etc
10. (intr) (of a whale) to break clear of the water
[Old English bræc; influenced by Old French brèche, from Old High German brecha, from brechan to break]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

breach

(britʃ)
n.
1. an infraction or violation, as of a law, trust, faith, or promise.
2. a gap made in a wall, fortification, line of soldiers, etc.; rift; fissure.
3. the act or a result of breaking; break or rupture.
4. a severance of friendly relations.
5. the leap of a whale above the surface of the water.
6. Archaic. the breaking of waves.
7. Obs. a wound.
v.t.
8. to make a breach or opening in.
9. to break or act contrary to.
v.i.
10. (of a whale) to leap out of the water and land with a loud splash.
[before 1000; Middle English breche, Old English bræc breaking; see break]
breach′er, n.
syn: breach, infraction, violation all denote an act of breaking or disregarding a legal or moral code. breach is most often used of a legal offense, but it may refer to the breaking of any code of conduct: breach of contract; breach of etiquette. infraction most often refers to the breaking of clearly formulated rules or laws: an infraction of regulations. violation often suggests a willful, forceful refusal to obey: done in violation of instructions.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

breach

- The leap of a whale out of the water or the breaking of waves over a vessel or onto a coast; it is also the act of breaking.
See also related terms for waves.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

breach


Past participle: breached
Gerund: breaching

Imperative
breach
breach
Present
I breach
you breach
he/she/it breaches
we breach
you breach
they breach
Preterite
I breached
you breached
he/she/it breached
we breached
you breached
they breached
Present Continuous
I am breaching
you are breaching
he/she/it is breaching
we are breaching
you are breaching
they are breaching
Present Perfect
I have breached
you have breached
he/she/it has breached
we have breached
you have breached
they have breached
Past Continuous
I was breaching
you were breaching
he/she/it was breaching
we were breaching
you were breaching
they were breaching
Past Perfect
I had breached
you had breached
he/she/it had breached
we had breached
you had breached
they had breached
Future
I will breach
you will breach
he/she/it will breach
we will breach
you will breach
they will breach
Future Perfect
I will have breached
you will have breached
he/she/it will have breached
we will have breached
you will have breached
they will have breached
Future Continuous
I will be breaching
you will be breaching
he/she/it will be breaching
we will be breaching
you will be breaching
they will be breaching
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been breaching
you have been breaching
he/she/it has been breaching
we have been breaching
you have been breaching
they have been breaching
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been breaching
you will have been breaching
he/she/it will have been breaching
we will have been breaching
you will have been breaching
they will have been breaching
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been breaching
you had been breaching
he/she/it had been breaching
we had been breaching
you had been breaching
they had been breaching
Conditional
I would breach
you would breach
he/she/it would breach
we would breach
you would breach
they would breach
Past Conditional
I would have breached
you would have breached
he/she/it would have breached
we would have breached
you would have breached
they would have breached
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.breach - a failure to perform some promised act or obligation
failure - an unexpected omission; "he resented my failure to return his call"; "the mechanic's failure to check the brakes"
breach of contract - a breach of a legal duty; failure to do something that is required in a contract
breach of duty - a breach of due care
2.breach - an opening (especially a gap in a dike or fortification)
opening, gap - an open or empty space in or between things; "there was a small opening between the trees"; "the explosion made a gap in the wall"
3.breach - a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)breach - a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"
schism - the formal separation of a church into two churches or the withdrawal of one group over doctrinal differences
breakup, separation, detachment - coming apart
Verb1.breach - act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promisesbreach - act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises; "offend all laws of humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization"; "break a law"; "break a promise"
disrespect - show a lack of respect for
sin, transgress, trespass - commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law
blunder, drop the ball, goof, sin - commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake; "I blundered during the job interview"
contravene, infringe, run afoul, conflict - go against, as of rules and laws; "He ran afoul of the law"; "This behavior conflicts with our rules"
trespass - break the law
trespass, intrude - enter unlawfully on someone's property; "Don't trespass on my land!"
2.breach - make an opening or gap in
open, open up - cause to open or to become open; "Mary opened the car door"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

breach

verb
1. break, violate, go against, flout, infringe, contravene, disobey, fly in the face of, transgress, fail to comply with The film breached the criminal libel laws.
2. break through, split, rupture, burst through Fire may have breached the cargo tanks and set the oil ablaze.
noun
1. nonobservance, abuse, violation, infringement, trespass, disobedience, transgression, contravention, infraction, noncompliance The congressman was accused of a breach of secrecy laws.
nonobservance performance, honouring, observation, discharge, compliance, fulfilment, adherence to
3. opening, crack, break, hole, split, gap, rent, rift, rupture, aperture, chasm, cleft, fissure A large battering ram hammered a breach in the wall.
Quotations
"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more" [William Shakespeare Henry V]
see breech
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

breach

noun
1. An opening, especially in a solid structure:
2. An act or instance of breaking a law or regulation or of nonfulfillment of an obligation or promise, for example:
3. An interruption in friendly relations:
verb
1. To make a hole or other opening in:
2. To fail to fulfill (a promise) or conform to (a regulation):
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
فجوة، ثغرهنكث الوعديفتح ثغرة
mezeraporušeníprolomittrhlina
brudbryde
murtumamurtuminenvälirikko
rés: rést üt
brot, rofrjúfa, gera skarîskarî, rof, geil
pralaužtiprasilaužtispragasulaužymasviešosios tvarkos laužymas
caurumsizsist caurumu / robupārkāpšana, neievērošanapārkāpt, neievērotrobs
prelomiť
bozmaçatlakgedikgedik açmakihlâl

breach

[briːtʃ]
A. N
1. (= violation) [of law etc] → violación f, infracción f
breach of confidence or faithabuso m de confianza
breach of contractincumplimiento m de contrato
to be in breach of a ruleincumplir una regla
breach of the peace (Jur) → perturbación f del orden público
breach of privilege (Parl) → abuso m del privilegio parlamentario
breach of promiseincumplimiento m de la palabra de casamiento
breach of securityfallo m de seguridad
2. (= gap) (in wall, Mil) → brecha f
to fill the breach; step into the breachllenar el vacío
3. (= estrangement) → ruptura f; (between friends) (= act) → rompimiento m de relaciones; (= state) → desavenencia f
to heal the breachhacer las paces
B. VT
1. [+ defences, wall] → abrir brecha en
2. [+ security] → poner en peligro
C. VI [whale] → salir a la superficie
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

breach

[ˈbriːtʃ]
vt
[+ defences] → ouvrir une brèche dans
[+ agreement] → rompre
[+ law] → enfreindre
[+ promise] → manquer à
[+ security] → déjouer
[+ wall] → faire un trou dans
n
(= gap) → brèche f
to step into the breach (= take over)
I was persuaded to step into the breach temporarily → On m'a convaincu de prendre la relève à titre temporaire.
(= estrangement) → brouille f breach of contract, breach of security, breach of the peace, breach of trustbreach of contract nrupture f de contratbreach of security nmanquement m au règles de sécuritébreach of the peace natteinte f à l'ordre publicbreach of trust nabus m de confiance
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

breach

n
Verletzung f (→ of +gen), → Verstoß m(of gegen); (of law)Übertretung f (→ of +gen), → Verstoß m; a breach of confidence/contract/faithein Vertrauens-/Vertrags-/Vertrauensbruch m; a breach of lawein Rechtsbruch m; a breach of ruleeine Regelwidrigkeit f; (Sport) → eine Regelverletzung f; a breach of securityein Verstoß mgegen die Sicherheitsbestimmungen; breach of the peace (Jur) → öffentliche Ruhestörung; breach of privilegePrivilegienmissbrauch m; breach of promise (Jur) → Bruch mdes Eheversprechens
(= estrangement: in friendship etc) → Bruch m
(= gap, in wall etc) → Bresche f, → Lücke f; (in security) → Lücke f; to make a breach in the enemy’s lines (Mil) → eine Bresche in die feindlichen Linien schlagen; to step into the breach (fig)in die Bresche springen
vt
walleine Bresche schlagen in (+acc); defences, securitydurchbrechen
contract, treatyverletzen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

breach

[briːtʃ]
1. n
a. (violation, of law) → violazione f; (of rules) → infrazione f; (of duty) → abuso
b. (gap, in wall) → apertura, varco (Mil) → breccia; (estrangement) → rottura
2. vt (defences) → far breccia in
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

breach

(briːtʃ) noun
1. a breaking (of a promise etc).
2. a gap, break or hole. a breach in the castle wall; a breach in security.
verb
to make an opening in or break (someone's defence).
breach of the peace
a riot, disturbance or public fight. guilty of breach of the peace.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
One day I was listening to some conversation upon this subject when an American student said that for some time he had been under sentence for a slight breach of the peace and had promised the constable that he would presently find an unoccupied day and betake himself to prison.
"It is strange," said D'Artagnan, "that I don't yet see the king's flag on the walls, or hear the drums beat the chamade ." He launched three hundred fresh men, under a high-spirited officer, and ordered another breach to be made.
It is an established doctrine on the subject of treaties, that all the articles are mutually conditions of each other; that a breach of any one article is a breach of the whole treaty; and that a breach, committed by either of the parties, absolves the others, and authorizes them, if they please, to pronounce the compact violated and void.
In an association where the general authority is confined to the collective bodies of the communities, that compose it, every breach of the laws must involve a state of war; and military execution must become the only instrument of civil obedience.
It was the report of a trial for breach of promise of marriage, giving the testimony in full, with fervid extracts from both the gentleman's and lady's amatory correspondence.
'If you would furnish him with an additional inducement to forgive you, let there be an irreconcilable breach, a most deadly quarrel, between you and me--let there be a pretense of such a thing, I mean, of course--and he'll do fast enough.
A river whose estuary resembles a breach in a sand rampart may flow through a most fertile country.
Surely the wickedness of falsehood, and breach of faith, cannot possibly be so highly expressed, as in that it shall be the last peal, to call the judgments of God upon the generations of men; it being foretold, that when Christ cometh, he shall not find faith upon the earth.
I never saw him when we forded the river; when we planted the English flag in the first breach; when we crossed the ditch beyond; and, fighting every inch of our way, entered the town.
Through the breach, they heard the waters pour, as mountain torrents down a flume.
They have made a breach in the barriers they rush in they are thrust back!
I lay here, however, two days, because the wind blowing pretty fresh at ESE., and that being just contrary to the current, made a great breach of the sea upon the point: so that it was not safe for me to keep too close to the shore for the breach, nor to go too far off, because of the stream.