breach of promise
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of breach of promise
First recorded in 1580–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The reason is not because you’re contesting the will, but are effectively bringing a case against your stepmother’s alleged breach of promise.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 23, 2026
Breckinridge, a five-term House representative from Kentucky, for breach of promise to marry.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2018
There have been demands that India's law should be amended so that "breach of promise to marriage" is treated as cheating and fraud, not as rape.
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2016
“This is a breach of promise of making safety the No. 1 goal of the agency and the Transportation Department,” Jasny said in a telephone interview today.
From BusinessWeek ● Dec. 23, 2011
“He had a breach of promise with a hairdresser, a widow, who came to Ann Arbor from St. Louis, Mich.”
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
