breach

American  

[breech] / britʃ /

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.

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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.

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.

breach British  

/ 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

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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

Usage

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.

Related Words

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 Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of breach

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

Explanation

A breach is a violation of a law, duty, or promise. If you'd contracted to mow your neighbor's lawn and don't do it, he can sue you for breach of contract. Or he can mow the lawn himself. Breach traces back to the Old English verb: brecan, "to break," which is what breach really means — "a breaking of something." Breach of contract is a legal way of saying you broke a promise. If your great aunt Edna is a stickler for propriety, she may be horrified when you eat your meat with the salad fork, considering it a breach of good manners.

Example Sentences

One bone of contention is a suspension clause toughened by parliament that would scrap favourable tariff conditions for US exporters, should the United States later breach the terms of the deal.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Peters, a former clerk in Mesa County, was convicted in 2024 for her role in a voting-machine security breach.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Washington said the airport’s 36-mile-long fence meets FAA requirements and noted that there are multiple layers of security to prevent a breach from taking place.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

He was allowed to update his register via the "rectification" procedure without sanctions, with standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg concluding it had been an "inadvertant" breach.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Since that time there had not been a single breach of personal information.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

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