breach of promise

See synonyms for breach of promise on Thesaurus.com
nounLaw.
  1. a violation of one's promise, especially of a promise to marry a specific person.

Origin of breach of promise

1
First recorded in 1580–90

Words Nearby breach of promise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use breach of promise in a sentence

  • He's the lawyer retained by General Hastings in the matter of a certain breach-of-promise suit.

    Within the Law | Marvin Dana
  • This was in 1632, and is undoubtedly the first breach-of-promise case that had occurred in the colony.

    Curiosities of History | William W. Wheildon
  • I'm no breach-of-promise lady—Chops and tomato sauce indeed!

  • That belongs to yellow-backed penny-dreadfuls and Sunday supplement tales of breach-of-promise suits.

    The Gorgeous Girl | Nalbro Bartley
  • David, old boy, this picture would make a good exhibit in a breach-of-promise suit.

British Dictionary definitions for breach of promise

breach of promise

noun
  1. law (formerly) failure to carry out one's promise to marry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012