trespass

1 of 2

verb

tres·pass ˈtre-ˌspas

also

-spəs

trespassed; trespassing; trespasses

intransitive verb

: to commit a trespass

especially : to enter unlawfully upon the land of another

: err, sin

: 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

-ˌspas

: an unlawful act committed on the person, property, or rights of another

especially : a wrongful entry on real property

: the legal action for injuries resulting from trespass

: a violation of moral or social ethics : transgression

especially : sin

: 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

Example Sentences

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

No charges were filed; however, the fast-food restaurant did trespass her from the location. —

John Benson, cleveland, 6 Dec. 2022 He was advised to not trespass on his neighbor’s property again. —

Cheryl Higley, cleveland, 5 Nov. 2022 The suspects were located, told not to trespass and were released. —

Cheryl Higley, cleveland, 12 Nov. 2022 The Saint Germain Foundation, a secretive religious group that owns land where people often trespass to get to the falls, is concerned that visitors will trash the place. —

Staff Writer Follow, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2022 For over two decades, locals have brought up how the valley is too overrun by visitors who trespass onto private property. —

Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2022 Why bother with expensive and complex zero-day exploits when there are much easier ways to trespass? —

Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 16 Sep. 2022 In connection with this latest incident, Wealand was charged with grand theft, theft from a construction site, felony criminal mischief, and trespass on a construction site. —

Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 9 Aug. 2022 Rather than a prerogative of the privileged, intent on keeping the general public at bay, the right to privacy should have been understood from the start as a prerogative of the people, establishing a zone where the state cannot readily trespass. —

Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022

Noun

Michael Patterson, 29, of the 1600 block of Wolf Road, Berkeley, was charged Dec. 3 with criminal trespass to property in the 7100 block of Roosevelt Road. —

Chicago Tribune, 15 Dec. 2022 He was arrested Thursday morning on a misdemeanor criminal trespass charge. —

Dallas News, 15 Sep. 2022 City prosecutors conceded defeat on a charge of resisting arrest shortly after a municipal court judge dismissed the trespass charge against journalist April Ehrlich on Aug. 26, according to records and her lawyer. —

oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2022 After it was determined that Tyson was not invited to stay at the home and was not known to the residents, he was placed under arrest on charges of criminal trespass and public intoxication. —

Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2022 His membership was revoked, and officers issued him a trespass warning. —

Marisa Iati, Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2022 Gionet was found guilty of assault, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass in that case. —

Angela Cordoba Perez, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2022 He was found to also have warrants for disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. —

Brian Lisik, cleveland, 10 Oct. 2022 Timothy Anthony Driscoll, 56, of Highland Park, was charged with felony stalking, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass to a residence Sept. 6. —

Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trespass.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Trespass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trespass. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

trespass

1 of 2 noun

tres·pass ˈtres-pəs

-ˌpas

: sin entry 1, offense

: 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

: err sense 1, sin

: 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

: wrongful conduct causing harm to another: as

: 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

: 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

History and Etymology for trespass

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