breach

1 of 2

noun

ˈbrēch How to pronounce breach (audio)
Synonyms of breachnext
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

breach

2 of 2

verb

breached; breaching; breaches

transitive verb

1
: to make a gap in by battering : to make a breach (see breach entry 1 sense 2b) in
breached the castle wall
2
: break, violate
breach an agreement

intransitive verb

: to leap out of water
a whale breaching

Did you know?

Into the breech or the breach?

If you are about to provide some much-needed assistance in a situation do you get ready to step (or leap, or jump) into the breach or the breech? The former. The sense of breach this expression applies to is “a gap (as in a wall) made by battering.” Breech, on the other hand, refers most often to a part of a rifle (near the rear of the barrel), the buttocks, or short pants which cover the hips and thighs (this sense is always found used in the plural, breeches). You may, if you are in a state of undress, step into your breeches before you step into the breach, but you would never step into your breaches before stepping into the breech.

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
If the liability for misuse of customer data sits with the banks, then customer data breaches by third parties are a huge potential liability, not a spurious concern. —Ruth Foxe Blader, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024 When the cat falls overboard and can’t paw its way back to the surface, it’s rescued from drowning by the opportune passing of a mammoth humpback, who catches the animal on its nose and breaches just in time. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
In 2021, a malicious actor breached T-Mobile’s lab environment by posing as a legitimate connection to an unidentified piece of equipment. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 18 Nov. 2024 And once restaurants mark up the bottle to account for their costs and profits, the wine list prices can breach a psychological barrier. —Peter Green, Quartz, 18 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for breach 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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 break entry 1

Verb

derivative of breach entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1547, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of breach was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing breach

Dictionary Entries Near breach

breacan

breach

breach of arrest

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Breach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breach. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

breach

1 of 2 noun
ˈbrēch How to pronounce breach (audio)
1
: violation of a law, duty, or tie
a breach of trust
2
a
: a broken or torn condition or area
b
: a gap (as in a wall) made by breaking through
3
: a break in friendly relations
4
: a leap especially of a whale out of water

breach

2 of 2 verb
1
: to make a breach in
2
: break entry 1 sense 2, violate
breach an agreement
3
: to leap out of water

Legal Definition

breach

noun
ˈbrēch How to pronounce breach (audio)
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)
breach verb
breacher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on breach

Nglish: Translation of breach for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of breach for Arabic Speakers

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