Synonyms of breach

breach 1 of 2

noun

ˈbrēch 

1

as in violation

a failure to uphold the requirements of law, duty, or obligation

the president's deliberate misstatements were widely seen as a breach of the public trust

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violation
• infringement
• contravention
• trespass
• infraction
• transgression
• offense
• misconduct
• misdemeanor
• disregard
• ignoring
• sin
• invasion
• misfeasance
• intrusion
• forgetting
• neglect
• wrong
• encroachment
• delinquency
• nonobservance
• overlooking
• misprision
• dereliction

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• observance
• respecting
• noninfringement
• upholding

2

as in crime

a breaking of a moral or legal code

cheating on the exam was a serious breach of the military academy's honor code

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violation
• crime
• sin
• trespass
• felony
• wrongdoing
• debt
• transgression
• error
• misdeed
• sinfulness
• offense
• lawbreaking
• misdoing
• infringement
• misconduct
• malefaction
• misfeasance
• misdemeanor
• hate crime
• abuse
• fault
• corruption
• foible
• break
• criminality
• illegality
• bias crime
• unlawfulness
• immorality
• wickedness
• vice
• iniquity
• peccadillo
• licentiousness
• depravity
• lawlessness
• debauchery
• downfall
• fall
• iniquitousness
• descent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• innocence
• virtue
• morality
• blamelessness
• righteousness
• impeccability
• goodness
• noncrime
• guiltlessness
• faultlessness
• virtuousness
• irreproachability

3

as in gap

an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge)

the cat got out of the yard through a breach in the hedge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gap
• hole
• crevice
• rift
• opening
• void
• crack
• interval
• break
• discontinuity
• fissure
• rent
• separation
• gulf
• hiatus
• interstice
• cleft
• slit
• split
• cavity
• fracture
• rupture
• chasm
• slot
• pore
• aperture
• orifice
• cranny
• abyss
• notch
• chink
• severance
• interspace
• sundering
• gape

breach

2 of 2

verb

as in to violate

to fail to keep

a builder being sued by a homeowner for breaching a contract

Synonyms & Similar Words

• violate
• break
• contravene
• transgress
• fracture
• infringe (on or upon)
• offend
• disobey
• ignore
• disregard
• traduce
• neglect
• blow off
• pass over
• rebel
• flout
• slight
• tune out
• brush (off)
• overlook
• resist
• dismiss
• withstand
• scorn
• defy
• shrug off
• wink (at)
• overpass
• pooh-pooh

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• follow
• conform (to)
• comply (with)
• obey
• observe
• serve
• mind
• submit (to)
• yield (to)
• notice
• hear
• listen (to)
• regard
• mark
• surrender (to)
• attend
• defer (to)
• note
• watch
• heed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of breach

Noun

Williams argued that without a viable federal copyright claim, Hugo’s state-law claims involving breach of fiduciary duty and an incomplete accounting should also be dismissed, leaving him free to pursue those claims separately in state court. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2026

Defense Undersecretary Emil Michael, a task force vice chair, will lead an effort to develop protocols for labs to tell the government about breaches, hacks and other cyber issues. — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Verb

That is down from 30% a year ago, but mortgage rates didn’t breach 7% until the final week of September, crossing a threshold that some experts say could make buyers who rely on mortgage loans hit pause. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

These young people have defied prohibitions on protest, breached draconian security clampdowns, and endured detentions to relentlessly question the government’s authority. — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026