breach
noun
\
Definition of breach
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : infraction or violation of a law, obligation, tie, or standard a breach of trust sued them for breach of contract
2a : a broken, ruptured, or torn condition or area a breach of the skin the leak was a major security breach
b : a gap (as in a wall) made by battering fixing a breach in the fence once more unto the breach, dear friends, … or close the wall up with our English dead —Shakespeare
3a : a break in accustomed friendly relations caused a breach between the two countries
b : a temporary gap in continuity : hiatus a breach of routine
4 : a leap especially of a whale out of water
breach
verbDefinition of breach (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to make a gap in by battering : to make a breach (see breach entry 1 sense 2b) in breached the castle wall
: to leap out of water a whale breaching
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Synonyms & Antonyms for breach
Synonyms: Noun
crime, debt, error, lawbreaking, malefaction, misdeed, misdoing, offense (or offence), sin, transgression, trespass, violation, wrongdoing
Synonyms: Verb
break, contravene, fracture, infringe (on or upon), offend, traduce, transgress, violate
Antonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Verb
comply (with), conform (to), follow, mind, obey, observe
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Examples of breach in a Sentence
Noun
This is clearly a breach of the treaty. Many people consider her decision to be a breach of trust . The judge ruled that the doctor's actions were in breach of her contractual duty.Verb
He claims that the city breached an agreement by selling the property. Is he going to breach his contract? The army breached the castle wall.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The interview was the latest breach of diplomatic protocol by Trump, whose predecessors tended to avoid criticizing their foreign hosts. — Jill Colvin And Jonathan Lemire, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump praises May after throwing barbs, then meets the queen," 13 July 2018 Then, Michelle Obama put her arm around the Queen, which others cried was a breach of etiquette (for the record: the Queen seemed fine with it, and even returned the gesture). — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "A Look Back at All of Queen Elizabeth's Presidential Meetings," 13 July 2018 The interview was the latest breach of diplomatic protocol by Trump, whose predecessors tended to avoid criticizing their foreign hosts. — Washington Post, "Trump pulls diplomatic backflip, praising May after barbs," 13 July 2018 The interview was the latest breach of diplomatic protocol by Trump, whose predecessors tended to avoid criticizing their foreign hosts. — Jonathan Lemire And Jill Colvin, chicagotribune.com, "Explosive Trump tabloid interview adds to chaos on 1st British visit," 13 July 2018 Former Carpentersville Village Manager Mark Rooney has sued the village for breach of contract. — Erin Sauder, Elgin Courier-News, "Former Carpentersville village manager sues for severance money he says he's owed," 27 June 2018 However, a Qantas spokeswoman told The Australian there had been no breach of separation standards because the two A380 aircrafts were understood to be apart by 20 nautical miles and 1,000 feet in altitude. — Ben Graham, Fox News, "Flight from Los Angeles sent into nosedive for 10 seconds after hitting vortex: report," 14 June 2018 Davidson dating Grande is a breach of norms in part because of their professional/creative disciplines. — Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, "The Weird & Wonderful Pairing Of Pete Davidson & Ariana Grande," 1 June 2018 The legal fight started when Klein's firm sued Goldsmith for breach of contract for failing to pay commissions after termination. — Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Hollywood Docket: "Most Interesting Man"; Dr. Luke v. Kesha; 'Goldie and Bear' Lawsuit," 1 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The prospect of a trade war, the constant threat of populism and deteriorating security are already denting confidence, and inflation remains below, or yet to convincingly breach, the targets of leading central banks. — Enda Curran, Bloomberg.com, "Easy Money Era Endures Even as Central Banks Unwind Stimulus," 17 June 2018 The river’s fury breached the paddle shack near the noon hour. — Chuck Gibson, Cincinnati.com, "Little Miami River overflows into Loveland business," 3 Apr. 2018 Detective Inspector Stephen McCulloch said the protester breached a no-fly zone over the Turnberry hotel and committed a criminal offense. — CBS News, "10,000 protest Trump in Edinburgh, Scotland -- live updates," 14 July 2018 When Jethro Tull appeared in 1971, legions of ticket-less fans tried to breach a fence, security forces let loose with tear gas and a five-year rock ’n’ roll ban began. — Christopher Reynolds, latimes.com, "Sitting in the palm of nature: The unique energy — and performances — of Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre," 12 July 2018 The players assert that the NCAA breached its contract by failing to act in good faith and by refusing to engage in fair dealing while vacating Louisville’s wins and records. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Should the NCAA Be Worried About the Lawsuit It's Facing From Former Louisville Players?," 12 July 2018 The suit was filed on behalf of Frost’s only child, a minor identified as M.F. The suit charges ADT with two counts of negligence and one count of fraud, deception and breaching the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and its agreement with Frost. — Max Londberg And Tony Rizzo, kansascity, "ADT didn’t alert officials to alarms at burning home with Kansas mom inside, suit says," 12 July 2018 In 2016, Russian hackers tried to breach election systems in at least 21 states, according to homeland security officials. — Erin Kelly, USA TODAY, "Russia so far not mounting 'robust' hacking effort against U.S. election, official says," 11 July 2018 Twenty-one million users of Timehop, an app that reminds people about their social media posts on that day, are at risk after hackers breached the company servers on July 4. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "Hackers Steal Personal Information of 21 Million Timehop Users," 9 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breach.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about breach
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
'Breech' vs. 'Breach'
'Breech' vs. 'Breach'
Mind the gap and hold on to your butts
Dictionary Entries near breach
Phrases Related to breach
Statistics for breach
Last Updated
11 Sep 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for breach
The first known use of breach was in the 14th century
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More Definitions for breach
breach
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of breach
: to fail to do what is required by (something, such as a law or agreement) : to break or violate (something)
: to make a hole or opening in (something)
See the full definition for breach in the English Language Learners Dictionary
breach
noun
\
Kids Definition of breach
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a failure to act in a promised or required way a breach of contract
2 : an opening made by breaking a breach in the dam
breach
verbKids Definition of breach (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to fail to do as promised or required by breach an agreement
2 : to make a break in
breach
noun
\
Legal Definition of breach
1a : a violation in the performance of or a failure to perform an obligation created by a promise, duty, or law without excuse or justification
: a breach of a duty especially by a fiduciary (as an agent or corporate officer) in carrying out the functions of his or her position
: a breach by a trustee of the terms of a trust (as by stealing from or carelessly mishandling the funds)
: a breach by a seller of the terms of a warranty (as by the failure of the goods to conform to the seller's description or by a defect in title)
Note:
A seller may be liable for a breach of warranty even without any negligence or misconduct.
b
: failure without excuse or justification to fulfill one's obligations under a contract
— called also
breach of contract
: a breach of contract that occurs as a result of a party's anticipatory repudiation of the contract
: breach of contract in economic theory in which it is more profitable for the breaching party to breach the contract and pay damages than to perform under the contract
: a breach of contract that is so substantial that it defeats the purpose of the parties in making the contract and gives the nonbreaching party the right to cancel the contract and sue for damages — compare substantial performance at performance
Note:
Whether a breach is material is a question of fact. Under the Restatement (Second) of Contracts, a material breach gives rise to the right to suspend performance but not to cancel the contract until there is a total breach.
: a breach of contract in which the breaching party's nonperformance is minor and gives rise to the right to sue for damages but not to suspend performance or cancel the contract — compare part performance at performance
: a breach of contract under the Restatement (Second) of Contracts that is so substantial that it gives rise to the right to cancel the contract and sue for damages
2a : a violation or disturbance of something (as a law or condition) find both the State and the minor guilty of gross breaches of the rules of procedure —In re D.L.B., 429 N.E.2d 615 (1981) a breach of security especially : breach of the peace
b : an act of breaking out breach of prison
3 : the condition of having committed a breach of contract —used in the phrase in breach a terminating party who is not in breach is entitled to expenses —C&S/Sovran Corp. v. First Fed. Sav. Bank of Brunswick, 463 S.E.2d 892 (1995)
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