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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Catching Fire
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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:
Police warned Schneider and the others not to trespass on the property.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Its goal was to limit state tort claims, like assault and trespass, against federal officials acting under federal authority.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2026
A jury last year took their side, awarding more than $660 million in damages across three Greenpeace entities, citing charges including trespass, nuisance, conspiracy and deprivation of property access.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
So far, a police report that could trigger a trespass investigation and review by prosecutors has not been filed, according to L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026
“She is a great deal too ill to be moved. Mr. Jones says we must not think of moving her. We must trespass a little longer on your kindness.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
They are organized trespasses into religious and public information facilities for social media attention,” Scientology spokesman David Bloomberg said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
The one who rewards you for trusting his trespasses.
From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2025
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
I’m not even Roman Catholic and I felt forgiven for my trespasses.
From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2021
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
It was a rainy day in May, and upon returning to the site with plastic sheets to protect freshly poured concrete, ICE had trespassed onto the development.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026
This fall some 20 Russian long-range drones deliberately trespassed into Polish airspace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
At length, he demanded, “Why have you trespassed here?”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Locals accuse trawlers of illegally trespassing into shallow waters reserved for small, local boats.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Murrieta Police Department dispatched officers to the 4100 block of Guava Street around 6:30 p.m. on May 1 after receiving a call about suspected trespassing, according to a department social media post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Domagala kept calling the cops, and the village eventually issued a trespassing citation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Jon Pearce, Labour MP for High Peak, confirmed on Wednesday that dye had been ordered again to "deter people from gathering and trespassing at the site".
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Any attempt to set off across country at once would only make matters worse: half the inhabitants would follow them, to see what they were up to, and to prevent them from trespassing.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
