breach

[breech]

noun

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

   Many districts were flooded by the river after a breach in an embankment upstream.

   Synonyms: fracture

2. an infraction or violation, such as of a law, contract, trust, or promise.

   If there is a breach of the warranty, we are not liable for damage.

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

   A breach in the castle walls gave the enemy an entrance.

   Synonyms: opening, rent, crack

4. Digital Technology.,  the unauthorized acquisition, use, or disclosure of customers' or users' personal data.

   There's no indication of a data breach affecting credit card information.

5. a severance of friendly relations.

   Synonyms: dissension, separation, schism, rift, split, alienation

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

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

8. Obsolete.,  wound.

verb (used with object)

1. to make a rupture or opening in.

   We need new ways to recover salmon without breaching the dams.

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

   The plaintiff alleges that the defendant has breached the terms of their license.

verb (used without object)

1. (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.

breach

/ briːtʃ /

noun

1. a crack, break, or rupture

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

3. any severance or separation

   there was a breach between the two factions of the party

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

5. the act of a whale in breaking clear of the water

6. the breaking of sea waves on a shore or rock

7. an obsolete word for wound 1

verb

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

2. (tr) to break a promise, law, etc

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

Other Word Forms

• breacher noun
• nonbreach noun
• nonbreaching adjective
• unbreached adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of breach¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English breche, Old English bræc “breaking”; break ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of breach¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. more honored in the breach (than the observance),

   1. (of a rule, law, custom, etc.) frequently ignored or rarely carried out.

      Courtly love was just an ideal, more honored in the breach than the observance.

      Even the best advice may be more honored in the breach.

   2. (of a rule, law, custom, etc.) unjust or ignoble to the point of being better to ignore.

      They agreed that the promises made to their unfit leader would be more honored in the breach than the observance.

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

A Lloyd’s spokeswoman said its council commissioned an independent review in October after becoming “aware of market speculation concerning possible historic breaches of policy.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Then again, Democrats are famous for having red lines — and for allowing Republicans to breach them, time and again, with little to no consequence.

Read more on Salon

The ripples made from the breach morph into waves that slash against the ship, nearly tipping us over.

Read more on Literature

“A speech, how marvelous! I do love a good oration. ‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends!’”

Read more on Literature

She said she also learned that after the first delay, her attacker was repeatedly breaching his bail conditions.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• contravention 
• dereliction 
• disregard 
• infraction 
• infringement 
• neglect 
• noncompliance 
• offense 
• transgression 
• violation 

When To Use

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.