breach
Americannoun
-
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
-
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.
-
a gap made in a wall, fortification, line of soldiers, etc.; rift; fissure.
A breach in the castle walls gave the enemy an entrance.
-
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.
-
a severance of friendly relations.
- Synonyms:
- dissension, separation, schism, rift, split, alienation
-
the leap of a whale above the surface of the water.
-
Archaic. the breaking of waves; the dashing of surf.
-
Obsolete. wound.
verb (used with object)
-
to make a rupture or opening in.
We need new ways to recover salmon without breaching the dams.
-
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)
idioms
noun
-
a crack, break, or rupture
-
a breaking, infringement, or violation of a promise, obligation, etc
-
any severance or separation
there was a breach between the two factions of the party
-
a gap in an enemy's fortifications or line of defence created by bombardment or attack
-
the act of a whale in breaking clear of the water
-
the breaking of sea waves on a shore or rock
-
an obsolete word for wound 1
verb
-
(tr) to break through or make an opening, hole, or incursion in
-
(tr) to break a promise, law, etc
-
(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.
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
breachsimple
-
breachessimple
-
have breachedperfect
-
has breachedperfect
-
am breachingprogressive
-
are breachingprogressive
-
is breachingprogressive
-
have been breachingperfect progressive
-
has been breachingperfect progressive
Past
-
breachedsimple
-
had breachedperfect
-
was breachingprogressive
-
were breachingprogressive
-
had been breachingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing breach
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Odyssey," Vocabulary from Part 1 of the epic poem
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
ChatGPT maker OpenAI has revealed that an autonomous artificial intelligence agent which hacked a popular platform for computer programmers also attempted to breach four other companies during the incident.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Team-mate Thiago Almada and Spain midfielder Gavi are also accused of the same breach.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
North Korean hackers who have attempted to breach defense contractors and government organizations sometimes operate from countries Pyongyang has diplomatic ties with, including Russia and China, according to United Nations reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Spanish police said they had arrested a man for setting off a fire in Castilla y Leon region by using farm machinery in breach of a ban in the tinderbox conditions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Chase glanced back again at the breach behind them.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
AliExpress has to now pay the fine and present a plan to the EU by October 20 that includes what action it will take to tackle the breaches.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Concern over the data collected by telematics and other companies has been driven by breaches, illegal sales and the growing ability to “re-identify” the source of the data even when it has been anonymized.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The company now has to pay the penalty and present a plan to the EU by 20 October that includes what action it will take to tackle the breaches.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
While he is in the UK, the government has said he would be returned to prison if he breaches a series of strict licence conditions.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Old fishermen with time on their hands built bonfires out of driftwood and warmed themselves while the sea made breaches in the hulls of ships that had come hard aground.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
On Tuesday, Reform asked the monitoring officer from the Greater London Authority, where Polanski is an elected member, to investigate whether he had breached the code of conduct.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Funeral director breached families' trust 'on industrial scale'
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
I must have only taken about 10 steps when the sea titan breached, its spotted skin flashing in the sunlight briefly before plunging beneath the waves.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
A law firm representing the company’s investors announced Tuesday that it had launched an inquiry into whether Immix Biopharma or members of its leadership team breached federal securities laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
When Nazi soldiers breached the gates of the city, our mayor met them, hands held up in surrender.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
The fighting has sent energy prices soaring once more, with the benchmark oil futures contract breaching $100 per barrel for the first time since late May, when energy prices were on their way down.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
The latest was a $1 billion fine on Alphabet’s Google for breaching digital competition rules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The EU can slap fines of up to 10 percent of a company's total global turnover for breaching the DMA.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Most pertinently, after breaching Uefa's financial sustainability regulations, Newcastle have entered into a three-year settlement with European football's governing body.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But it is also the setting for two starkly different tales about breaching those divides.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
