trespass

1 of 2

verb

tres·​pass ˈtre-ˌspas How to pronounce trespass (audio)
also
-spəs How to pronounce trespass (audio)
trespassed; trespassing; trespasses

intransitive verb

1
: to commit a trespass
especially : to enter unlawfully upon the land of another
2
a
: err, sin
b
: to make an unwarranted or uninvited incursion

transitive verb

: violate
trespass the bounds of good taste
trespasser noun

trespass

2 of 2

noun

tres·​pass ˈtre-spəs How to pronounce trespass (audio) -ˌspas How to pronounce trespass (audio)
1
a
: an unlawful act committed on the person, property, or rights of another
especially : a wrongful entry on real property
b
: the legal action for injuries resulting from trespass
2
a
: a violation of moral or social ethics : transgression
especially : sin
b
: an unwarranted infringement
Choose the Right Synonym for trespass

trespass, encroach, infringe, invade mean to make inroads upon the property, territory, or rights of another.

trespass implies an unwarranted or unlawful intrusion.

hunters trespassing on farmland

encroach suggests gradual or stealthy entrance upon another's territory or usurpation of another's rights or possessions.

the encroaching settlers displacing the native peoples

infringe implies an encroachment clearly violating a right or prerogative.

infringing a copyright

invade implies a hostile and injurious entry into the territory or sphere of another.

accused of invading their privacy

Examples of trespass in a Sentence

Verb He told me I was trespassing. The sign said “No Trespassing.” Noun He was arrested for trespass. forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
One of the disruptors made it all the way to the San Francisco 49ers' sideline, where he was subdued, while his partner in crime — literally, this is trespassing — was tackled by a team of security staffers near the 10-yard line by the Chiefs’ end zone. Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 Loughran said the tribe hasn't allowed Enbridge to take protective steps, while Clement countered that the tribe shouldn't have to do anything since Enbridge is trespassing. Todd Richmond, Quartz, 8 Feb. 2024 Much of the legal battles over Line 5 have stemmed from whether Enbridge is trespassing on the Band's land. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2024 The investigation is in its preliminary stages, but police believe Hernandez was stabbed by the suspect who allegedly trespassed onto the property. Landon Mion, Fox News, 12 Feb. 2024 The charges stem from an Oct. 30 incident when Bland allegedly trespassed on campus and entered a girls’ restroom. Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2024 Here’s a look at where the cases against the Jan. 6 defendants stand: BY THE NUMBERS More than 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot, ranging from misdemeanor offenses like trespassing to felonies like assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy. Michael Kunzelman, Twin Cities, 5 Jan. 2024 According to the coast guard, an unnamed mainland Chinese vessel had trespassed within about one nautical mile off the coast of Kinmen - which lies nearer to mainland China than to Taiwan. Shawn Deng, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024 The land was owned piecemeal by various agencies and private landowners, many of whom weren’t happy with the people trespassing on their property. Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
Noun
Those 30 people were also issued summonses for trespass. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024 All six were charged with criminal trespass, and one of the men was also charged with obstruction. Pilar Arias, Fox News, 28 Feb. 2024 And so, in this scenario, objectification is a kind of subjugation — a trespass against the agency of the one being perceived. Kayla Bartsch, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024 She was charged with stalking, harassment, criminal trespass, and trespass. Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Jan. 2024 Powell was charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit computer theft, trespass and invasion of privacy and conspiracy to defraud the state. Tori Otten, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2023 These claims include negligence, environmental harm, product liability, nuisance, and trespass, but defenses are very challenging. Louis Biscotti, Forbes, 9 Feb. 2024 Troopers are enforcing criminal trespass on single adult men & women. Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024 Parent was placed under arrest and taken to Troop L, where he was processed and charged with possession of burglary tools, third-degree criminal trespass, first-degree criminal mischief and first-degree larceny. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trespass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French trespasser to overtake, exceed, wrong, from tres to a high degree (from Latin trans beyond) + passer to pass — more at through, pass

Noun

Middle English trespas, from Anglo-French, passage, overstepping, misdeed, from trespasser

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler
The first known use of trespass was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near trespass

Cite this Entry

“Trespass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trespass. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

trespass

1 of 2 noun
tres·​pass ˈtres-pəs How to pronounce trespass (audio)
-ˌpas
1
2
: an unlawful act committed on the person, property, or rights of another
especially : unlawful entry on someone else's land

trespass

2 of 2 verb
1
2
: to commit a trespass
especially : to enter unlawfully upon the land of another
trespasser noun

Legal Definition

trespass

1 of 2 noun
tres·​pass ˈtres-pəs, -ˌpas How to pronounce trespass (audio)
: wrongful conduct causing harm to another: as
a
: a willful act or active negligence as distinguished from a mere omission of a duty that causes an injury to or invasion of the person, rights, or especially property of another
also : the common-law form of action for redress of injuries directly caused by such a wrongful act compare trespass on the case in this entry
b
: trespass quare clausum fregit in this entry
computer trespass
: the act of using or gaining access to a computer or computer network without authorization especially for the purpose of committing a crime or harming or removing programs, data, or hardware
continuing trespass
: a trespass that continues until the act (as of depriving another of his or her property without the intent to steal it) or instrumentality (as an object placed wrongfully on another's land) causing it is ended or removed
criminal trespass
: trespass to property that is forbidden by statute and punishable as a crime as distinguished from trespass that creates a cause of action for damages
trespass ab initio
: a trespass that arises upon a lawful act which because of subsequent unlawful or wrongful conduct is deemed under a legal fiction to have been trespassory from the beginning
trespass de bonis asportatis \ -​dē-​ˈbō-​nis-​ˌas-​pȯr-​ˈtā-​tis, -​dā-​ˈbō-​nēs-​ˌäs-​pȯr-​ˈtä-​tēs \ probably from Medieval Latin (trangressio) de bonis asportatis (trespass) concerning property carried off
: a common-law form of action to recover for trespass involving the carrying off of one's goods by another
trespass on the case
: a common-law form of action to recover for another's wrongful act that indirectly causes one's injury

called also action on the case, case

trespass quare clausum fregit \ -​ˈkwer-​ē-​ˈklȯ-​zəm-​ˈfrē-​jət, -​ˈkwä-​rā-​ˈklau̇-​su̇m-​ˈfrā-​gēt \ probably from Medieval Latin (transgressio) quare clausum fregit (trespass) whereby he or she broke into a close (tenement protected by law of trespass)
: a trespass that involves wrongful and tortious entry on another's real property
trespass to try title
: an action brought as a means of obtaining redress for a trespass to real property and determining the title to the property
trespass vi et armis \ -​ˈvī-​ˌet-​ˈär-​mis, -​ˈvē-​, -​ˌmēs \ Latin vi et armis with force and arms
: a trespass involving intentional infliction of injury on a person

trespass

2 of 2 intransitive verb
: to commit a trespass
especially : to enter wrongfully or without proper authority or consent upon the real property of another

transitive verb

: to commit a trespass against
Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French trespas violation of the law, actionable wrong, from Old French, crossing, passage, from trespasser to go across, from tres across + passer to pass

More from Merriam-Webster on trespass

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