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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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 the government argues SWR's early period in public hands was affected by high summer temperatures, signal failures and trespass incidents.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Both men were initially arrested on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage - after Cambridgeshire Police officers joined the search - and were taken to a local station.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
That find was the common-law tort of trespass to chattels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The 1700s statutes were not, in fact, limited to poaching, but were also meant to prevent “armed trespass, property theft or damage, and gun violence, whether intentional or accidental.”
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
In a victory for the civil rights movement, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that states cannot use trespass laws against individuals protesting state-mandated segregation policies.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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
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
But Seanie always had a way of obsessing about things like they were the greatest trespasses ever committed against his pitiful soul.
From "Winger" by Andrew Smith
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
Anya thought it was unfair to close a road for safety and then punish people who trespassed on it.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
But at common law, a mere guest couldn’t sue a person for trespassing on the host’s property.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Robson was booked Monday evening and charged with one misdemeanor count of trespassing and refusing to leave private property, according to court records.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
"Many complaints are about the violation of trash disposal rules while others include smoking and trespassing," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 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
Or does ownership consist only of a thin crust under which the friendly worms have never heard of trespassing?
From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit
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