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:
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
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
The fearful unknowns that trespass, that make the days precarious and some nights miles long, also seed the imagination, creativity and art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
Wallace and the four other 18-year-olds involved were also charged with criminal trespass and littering on private property.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
“We trespass now in the realm of the Nemesi.”
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
This and other trespasses aren’t dealbreakers by today’s standards.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2025
The one who rewards you for trusting his trespasses.
From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2025
And yet Maxine is a good person, whose schemes and trespasses one does not quite forgive, but makes allowances for against hopeful future corrections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024
Instead, June’s methodology is consistently to tell the reader her trespasses and offer flimsy justifications for them.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2023
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
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
Early last year, Reeves filed for a temporary restraining order against a man who allegedly trespassed on the actor’s property at least six times between November 2022 and January 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2024
He currently faces a lawsuit from the party game company Cards Against Humanity, which says SpaceX illegally trespassed on land it owns in Texas.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2024
“Your song,” I said sheepishly, suddenly feeling like I’d maybe illegally trespassed into Dad’s private territory.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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
Christopher and Anya’s adventures unspool at a breathless pace as they hop from island to island, dueling with pirates, trespassing among giants and competing in a deadly street race featuring some of Glimouria’s nastier creatures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
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
Thereafter, the whistle alone will deal with trespassing or any other untoward behaviour.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
