breach

noun \ ˈbrēch \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of breach

1 :infraction or violation of a law, obligation, tie, or standard

a breach of trust

sued them for breach of contract

2 a :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

3 a :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

See breach defined for English-language learners

See breach defined for kids

Examples of breach in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of breach from the Web

Baccala, 44, was convicted of breach of peace and sentenced to 25 days in jail.

— dave collins, The Seattle Times, "Court: Profanity-laced tirade was protected free speech," 7 July 2017
The release of private information creates a tremendous breach of trust with voters who work hard to protect themselves against identity fraud. …

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Principled conservatives show federalism is more than a talking point by rejecting voter data requests," 6 July 2017
The report, authored by an Italian cardiologist who interviewed dozens of current and former employees, cited breaches of accepted medical protocols.

— nicole winfield, The Seattle Times, "Vatican acknowledges past problems at ‘pope’s hospital’," 4 July 2017
The report, authored by an Italian cardiologist who interviewed dozens of current and former employees, cited breaches of accepted medical protocols.

— Bloomberg.com, "Vatican Acknowledges Past Problems At 'Pope's Hospital'," 4 July 2017
The neighborhood is also one of the areas Islamic State fighters had expected to defend most fiercely, relying on the city wall to provide cover and focusing their defenses around two existing breaches.

— liz sly, chicagotribune.com, "U.S.-backed forces breach ancient wall of Islamic State's self-proclaimed capital," 4 July 2017
The suit, filed in Delaware Superior Court, alleges that Sprint’s breach of contract with RadioShack’s parent, General Wireless, forced the electronics retailer into bankruptcy for a second time this spring.

— andrea ahles, star-telegram.com, "RadioShack creditors allege Sprint sabotaged business, destroyed jobs," 30 June 2017
Mr. Olmert’s lawyers argued that the manuscript would be subject to military censorship before publication and that there had been no security breach.

— isabel kershner, New York Times, "Ehud Olmert, Israeli Ex-Prime Minister, Granted Early Release from Prison," 29 June 2017
Its attorneys have represented plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez oil spill aftermath, the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, Yahoo data breaches and NFL player brain injuries.

— diane bell, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Five San Diegans are headed to a local Hall of Fame," 28 June 2017

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of breach

Middle English breche "act of breaking, opening in a wall, violation," probably in part continuing Old English brǣc "act of breaking" (derivative from base of brecan "to break"), in part borrowed from Anglo-French & continental Old French breche "break, gap," going back to Old Low Franconian *breka, derivative of *brekan "to break," going back to Germanic *brekan- — more at ¹break

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

breach Synonyms

Synonyms

contravention, infraction, infringement, transgression, trespass, violation

Antonyms

noninfringement, nonviolation, observance

Related Words

misconduct, misdemeanor, misfeasance, misprision, offense (or offence), sin, wrong; disregard, forgetting, ignoring, nonobservance, overlooking; delinquency, dereliction, neglect; encroachment, intrusion, invasion

Near Antonyms

respecting, upholding

breach

verb

Definition of breach

transitive verb

1 :to make a gap in by battering :to make a breach (see ¹breach 2b) in

breached the castle wall

2 :break, violate

breach an agreement

intransitive verb

:to leap out of water

a whale breaching

See breach defined for English-language learners

Examples of breach in a Sentence

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 of breach from the Web

The storm, which submerged the nation's fourth largest city, have dropped a record breaking amount of rain in Houston — 49.32 inches that has flooded homes, breached a levee, and swallowed highways.

— christina coleman, Essence.com, "This Is What Houston Looks Like After Hurricane Harvey," 29 Aug. 2017
Simon said that plan must include a review of keeping or breaching the four Snake dams, the latter being an option that many scientists argue is the best way to rescue those imperiled salmon.

— rocky barker, idahostatesman, "A changing electrical grid may make Snake River dams expendable — and help save salmon," 4 Aug. 2017
BP foresees EVs breaching the 100-million mark by 2035, a big leap beyond its previous forecast of 71.4 million.

— bengt halvorson, Car and Driver, "Even Big Oil Foresees an Explosion of Electric-Vehicle Sales," 4 Aug. 2017
While the United States was focused on concerns that Russia may have hacked the last election, since May hackers have breached the computer systems of at least a dozen U.S. power plants, including nuclear facilities.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Hackers Targeted U.S. Nuclear Facilities, and Russia Is the Top Suspect," 7 July 2017
Police are investigating after the town's website was reportedly hacked early Thursday morning, but officials say no personal information of users of the site was breached.

— mikaela porter, courant.com, "West Hartford Police Investigating Hack To Town's Website," 6 July 2017
SB 4 also breaches the guarantees of equal protection and freedom of speech in the Constitution, opponents argue.

— cassandra pollock, star-telegram, "Texas' new immigration law is in court Monday. What's happened so far?," 26 June 2017
Flames were visible on the third floor of the building and soon breached the roof.

— glenn e. rice, robert a. cronkleton and david eulitt, kansascity, "Traffic along Southwest Boulevard near site of three-alarm fire reopens," 21 June 2017
The decision continues a modified accounting practice mandated in 2016 by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge who ruled a previous fund transfer practiced by the city breached its own charter.

— jeff landa, Glendale News-Press, "Glendale City Council approves $20 million transfer from utility surplus to general reserve fund," 15 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of breach

derivative of ¹breach

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1547

See Words from the same year

breach Synonyms

Synonyms

violate, break, contravene, fracture, infringe, offend, traduce, transgress

Antonyms

comply (with), conform (to), follow, mind, obey, observe

Related Words

disobey, rebel; blow off, brush (off), disregard, flout, ignore, neglect, overlook, overpass, pass over, slight, tune out, wink (at); dismiss, pooh-pooh (also pooh), scorn, shrug off; defy, resist, withstand

Near Antonyms

defer (to), serve, submit (to), surrender (to), yield (to); attend, hear, heed, listen (to), mark, note, notice, regard, watch

BREACH Defined for English Language Learners

breach

verb

Definition of breach for English Language Learners

: 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)

BREACH Defined for Kids

breach

noun \ ˈbrēch \

Definition of breach for Students

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

verb

Definition of breach for Students

breached; breaching

1 :to fail to do as promised or required by

breach an agreement

2 :to make a break in

Law Dictionary

breach

noun \ ˈbrēch \

legal Definition of breach

1 a :a violation in the performance of or a failure to perform an obligation created by a promise, duty, or law without excuse or justification

— breach of duty

: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

— breach of trust

:a breach by a trustee of the terms of a trust (as by stealing from or carelessly mishandling the funds)

— breach of warranty

: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; compare repudiation

— anticipatory breach

:a breach of contract that occurs as a result of a party's anticipatory repudiation of the contract

— efficient breach

: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

— material breach

: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.

— partial 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

— total breach

: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

2 a :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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breach

verb

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breacher

noun

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breach

Definition of breach

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BREACH Defined for English Language Learners

breach

Definition of breach for English Language Learners

BREACH Defined for Kids

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breach

Definition of breach for Students

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