breach

[ breech ]

/ britʃ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR breach ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or a result of breaking; break or rupture.

an infraction or violation, as of a law, trust, faith, or promise.

a gap made in a wall, fortification, line of soldiers, etc.; rift; fissure.

a severance of friendly relations.

the leap of a whale above the surface of the water.

Archaic. the breaking of waves; the dashing of surf.

Obsolete. wound¹.

verb (used with object)

to make a breach or opening in.

to break or act contrary to (a law, promise, etc.).

verb (used without object)

(of a whale) to leap partly or completely out of the water, head first, and land on the back or belly with a resounding splash.

Origin of breach

before 1000; Middle English breche, Old English bræc breaking; see break

SYNONYMS FOR breach

1 fracture.

3 crack, rent, opening.

4 alienation, split, rift, schism, separation; dissension.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR breach ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for breach

2. Breach, infraction, violation, transgression all denote in some way the breaking of a rule or law or the upsetting of a normal and desired state. Breach is used infrequently in reference to laws or rules, more often in connection with desirable conditions or states of affairs: a breach of the peace, of good manners, of courtesy. Infraction most often refers to clearly formulated rules or laws: an infraction of the criminal code, of university regulations, of a labor contract. Violation, a stronger term than either of the preceding two, often suggests intentional, even forceful or aggressive, refusal to obey the law or to respect the rights of others: repeated violations of parking regulations; a human rights violation. Transgression, with its root sense of “a stepping across (of a boundary of some sort),” applies to any behavior that exceeds the limits imposed by a law, especially a moral law, a commandment, or an order; it often implies sinful behavior: a serious transgression of social customs, of God's commandments.

OTHER WORDS FROM breach

breach·er, noun non·breach, noun non·breach·ing, adjective un·breached, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH breach

breach breech

Words nearby breach

brca, brca1, brcs, bre, brea, breach, breach of contract, breach of faith, breach of promise, breach of the peace, breach of trust

VOCAB BUILDER

What does breach mean?

A breach is a physical break or rupture, as in the hull of a ship. It also means a violation or infraction, as in a breach of trust. It can also be used as a verb referring to the action that leads to each of these things.

Breach is often used in phrases like security breach, data breach, breach of trust, breach of etiquette, and breach of contract.

Example: We view these ethical violations as an unforgivable breach of the public trust, and we call on the senator to resign.

Where does breach come from?

Breach has been in use since before 1000. It comes from the same roots as the word break, and all of its senses relate to breaking or breaking through something.

In a physical sense, to breach something is to break through it. This is often applied to things that aren’t supposed to break, such as the hull of a ship or a thick wall, as in They’ve breached the castle gate! The resulting hole is called a breach.

The figurative sense of breach follows the same pattern. To breach something in this way is to violate it. It’s often applied to abstract things, as in breach the peace. In its figurative sense, it’s perhaps more commonly used as a noun, as in phrases like breach of trust and breach of friendship (in which cases it often refers to a betrayal) and breach of etiquette (meaning a violation of proper behavior). In a legal sense, you can breach a contract by not following it (resulting in a breach of contract). When someone bypasses security, it’s called a security breach. When hackers steal information, it’s called a data breach.

A little more specifically, it’s called a breach when a whale breaches the surface of the water by thrusting itself up out of it.

Breach should not be confused with the homophone breech, which generally refers to the lower part of something.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to breach?

breacher (noun)
nonbreach (noun)
nonbreaching (adjective)
unbreached (adjective)

What are some synonyms for breach?

What are some words that share a root or word element with breach?

break

What are some words that often get used in discussing breach?

What are some words breach may be commonly confused with?

breech

How is breach used in real life?

Breach refers to things that have been broken or violated. The break can be physical, but breach more commonly refers to violations of abstract things.

How did the protomolecule instantaneously infiltrate the ship? Did it breach the hull like a missile? #theexpanse

— Iris Pangburn (@Calamitatis) May 17, 2018

Salespeople who send meeting invites unsolicited… don’t. I’ll never work with you once you’ve committed this profound breach of etiquette.

— David Harold (@dcharold) March 5, 2020

I have to tell you, if using your product or service requires me to sign up for a new account, I'm way less likely to use it than I would be with existing credentials (using Sign In with Apple, for example). Too many data breach examples for me to bother these days.

— Peter Cohen (@flargh) February 24, 2020

Try using breach!

Which of the following words is a synonym for breach?

A. agreement
B. violation
C. reconciliation
D. broken

Example sentences from the Web for breach

This breach is an extraordinary emotional drag on the exhausted population.

In One Corner of Syria, Christmas Spirit Somehow Manages to Survive |Peter Schwartzstein |December 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Good old Sir Bob Geldof stepping into the breach again to raise money for crisis-hit Africa?

Do They Know It’s Time to Stop Band Aid? |Tom Sykes |November 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But while progressive attempts to address the class divide have been less than successful, can the Republicans fill the breach?

Class Issues, Not Race, Will Likely Seal the Next Election |Joel Kotkin |September 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He receives a letter alleging “breach of contract” over his sabotaging the Commander Cigarettes deal.

Mad Men’s Game-Changing Midseason Finale, “Waterloo”: One Door Closes, Another Opens |Marlow Stern |May 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Moreover, the current foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman was charged, though not convicted, with fraud and breach of trust.

Ehud Olmert’s Sentencing Won’t Be a Day of Reckoning for Israel’s Leaders |Alon Ben-Meir |May 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He unfolded the sheet and scanned the charges—coercion, larceny, livestock theft, and breach of contract.

The Lani People |J. F. Bone
The breach between the two men which led to open collision took place in 1846.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 5 |Various
The breach was apparently healed, but rather to avoid a scandal than from sincere forgiveness.

The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte |William Milligan Sloane
Advancing to the attack, the janissaries burst through the mass of Turks still continuing the conflict, and rushed up the breach.

A Knight of the White Cross |G.A. Henty
The law has been declared by the law officers of the Crown to be a breach of the London Convention.

The Transvaal from Within |J. P. Fitzpatrick

British Dictionary definitions for breach

breach

/ (briːtʃ) /

noun

a crack, break, or rupture

a breaking, infringement, or violation of a promise, obligation, etc

any severance or separation there was a breach between the two factions of the party

a gap in an enemy's fortifications or line of defence created by bombardment or attack

the act of a whale in breaking clear of the water

the breaking of sea waves on a shore or rock

an obsolete word for wound 1

verb

(tr) to break through or make an opening, hole, or incursion in

(tr) to break a promise, law, etc

(intr) (of a whale) to break clear of the water

Word Origin for breach

Old English bræc; influenced by Old French brèche, from Old High German brecha, from brechan to break

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

breach

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of breach

SYNONYMS FOR breach

synonym study for breach

OTHER WORDS FROM breach

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH breach

Words nearby breach

VOCAB BUILDER

What does breach mean?

Where does breach come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is breach used in real life?

Try using breach!

Example sentences from the Web for breach

British Dictionary definitions for breach

noun

verb

Word Origin for breach

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

breach

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of breach

SYNONYMS FOR breach

synonym study for breach

OTHER WORDS FROM breach

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH breach

Words nearby breach

VOCAB BUILDER

What does breach mean?

Where does breach come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is breach used in real life?

Try using breach!

Content related to breach

Words related to breach

Example sentences from the Web for breach

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noun

verb

Word Origin for breach

British Dictionary definitions for breach