trespass

[ tres-puh s, -pas ]
/ ˈtrɛs pəs, -pæs /

noun

Law.
  1. an unlawful act causing injury to the person, property, or rights of another, committed with force or violence, actual or implied.
  2. a wrongful entry upon the lands of another.
  3. the action to recover damages for such an injury.
an encroachment or intrusion.
an offense, sin, or wrong.

verb (used without object)

Law. to commit a trespass.
to encroach on a person's privacy, time, etc.; infringe (usually followed by on or upon).
to commit a transgression or offense; transgress; offend; sin.

Origin of trespass

1250–1300; (noun) Middle English trespas transgression, offense < Old French, derivative of trespasser, equivalent to tres- (< Latin trāns- trans-) + passer to pass; (v.) Middle English trespassen, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR trespass

4, 5 T respass , encroach , infringe , intrude imply overstepping boundaries and assuming possession of others' property or crowding onto the right of others. To trespass is to pass unlawfully within the boundaries of another's property: Hunters trespass on a farmer's fields. To encroach is to creep, gradually and often stealthily, upon territory, rights, or privileges, so that a footing is imperceptibly established: The sea slowly encroached upon the land. To infringe is to break in upon or invade rights, customs, or the like, by violating or disregarding them: to infringe upon a patent. To intrude is to thrust oneself into the presence of a person or into places or circumstances where one is not welcome: to intrude into a private conversation.

OTHER WORDS FROM trespass

tres·pass·er, noun non·tres·pass, noun un·tres·passed, adjective un·tres·pass·ing, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for trespass

British Dictionary definitions for trespass

trespass
/ (ˈtrɛspəs) /

verb (intr)

(often foll by on or upon) to go or intrude (on the property, privacy, or preserves of another) with no right or permission
law to commit trespass, esp to enter wrongfully upon land belonging to another
archaic (often foll by against) to sin or transgress

noun

law
  1. any unlawful act committed with force or violence, actual or implied, which causes injury to another person, his property, or his rights
  2. a wrongful entry upon another's land
  3. an action to recover damages for such injury or wrongful entry
an intrusion on another's privacy or preserves
a sin or offence

Derived forms of trespass

trespasser, noun

Word Origin for trespass

C13: from Old French trespas a passage, from trespasser to pass through, from tres- trans- + passer, ultimately from Latin passus a pace 1