trespass
Americannoun
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trespasses
plural
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Law.
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an unlawful act causing injury to the person, property, or rights of another, committed with force or violence, actual or implied.
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a wrongful entry upon the lands of another.
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the action to recover damages for such an injury.
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an encroachment or intrusion.
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an offense, sin, or wrong.
verb (used without object)
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trespasses,
present (3rd person singular)
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trespassed,
past participle, past
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trespassing
present participle
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Law. to commit a trespass.
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to encroach on a person's privacy, time, etc.; infringe (usually followed by on orupon ).
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to commit a transgression or offense; transgress; offend; sin.
verb
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to go or intrude (on the property, privacy, or preserves of another) with no right or permission
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law to commit trespass, esp to enter wrongfully upon land belonging to another
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archaic (often foll by against) to sin or transgress
noun
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law
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any unlawful act committed with force or violence, actual or implied, which causes injury to another person, his property, or his rights
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a wrongful entry upon another's land
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an action to recover damages for such injury or wrongful entry
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an intrusion on another's privacy or preserves
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a sin or offence
Synonym Usage
Trespass , 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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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trespasssimple
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trespassessimple
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have trespassedperfect
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has trespassedperfect
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am trespassingprogressive
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are trespassingprogressive
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is trespassingprogressive
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have been trespassingperfect progressive
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has been trespassingperfect progressive
Past
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trespassedsimple
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had trespassedperfect
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was trespassingprogressive
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were trespassingprogressive
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had been trespassingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of trespass
First recorded in 1250–1300; (noun) Middle English trespas “transgression, offense,” from Old French, derivative of trespasser, equivalent to tres- (from Latin trāns- trans- ) + passer “to pass” ( see pass); (verb) Middle English trespassen, derivative of the noun
Explanation
To trespass is to illegally enter someone's property or overstep your bounds in another way. Have you ever seen a "No trespassing" sign? If so, you probably know it means "Keep out" and that trespassing is to go somewhere unlawfully. If you break into a store that's closed or enter a stranger's yard, you're trespassing and could be arrested. Also, trespassing refer to other types of stepping over boundaries. If you lie to a friend, that's a type of trespassing. Taking advantage of someone is trespassing. Both kinds of trespassing are violations.
Vocabulary lists containing trespass
Prince (1958-2016) Tribute List
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Enrique's Journey
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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.
See Examples For:
But suits for trespass to chattels generally require some proof of damage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
That find was the common-law tort of trespass to chattels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
While he’s trying to rebuild, he’s had to fend off transients who trespass onto his property on a regular basis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Tensions were highlighted in 1932 by the mass trespass of Kinder Scout, moorland kept exclusively for grouse shooting by its owner, the Duke of Devonshire.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
Bullfrogs croaked in a feverish dirge, while larger game, alarmed by my trespass, thrashed through the underbrush, making me feel as though I was being pursued on all sides.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
The one who rewards you for trusting his trespasses.
From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2025
It also accuses the group of boasting about the alleged trespasses, posting proof on social media and in correspondence with government officials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2024
The Bad River won a key victory last summer when a Wisconsin judge ruled that the company must shut down the portion of its pipeline that trespasses on the reservation by 2026.
From Salon ● Dec. 21, 2023
But as in her earlier royal biography, Brown seems perennially torn between excoriating tabloid reporters for their most egregious trespasses and reveling in their discoveries.
From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2022
She makes pronouncements that Ivanito doesn’t understand, stays up all night hearing prophecies in her head, forgives her father and ex-husband long lists of past trespasses.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Their evidence also stated that access could only be gained to the site by approved maintenance staff, residents in the immediate area, or if members of the public trespassed.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Often, São Paulo capybaras just need rescuing after they’ve trespassed: Sometimes a capybara has made its way into a home or business overnight and needs bailing out.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
This fall some 20 Russian long-range drones deliberately trespassed into Polish airspace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, posted on social media that Baraka trespassed on the property's secure area and didn't listen when federal personnel told him to leave.
From Salon ● May 10, 2025
Calder, aware that he had trespassed again, looked down at the table.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
Police are looking into the report of an alleged prowler who, “clad in black,” was spotted trespassing at the Oscar-winning director’s Hollywood Hills mansion Wednesday afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
When challenged on the fact this is trespassing, he said: "They're all wide open, so anybody can walk in. I think it's public land."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Officials decry the trespassing as a risky gambit that is wrecking an iconic property they want revived.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The criminal charge: trespassing on the former IBM campus here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
He wasn’t compelled to offer stuttering apologies for trespassing or to make a hasty, panicked retreat in the heroic fashion of his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
