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breach

 - 5 dictionary results

breach

  [breech]
Use breach in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act or a result of breaking; break or rupture.
2. an infraction or violation, as of a law, trust, faith, or promise.
3. a gap made in a wall, fortification, line of soldiers, etc.; rift; fissure.
4. a severance of friendly relations.
5. the leap of a whale above the surface of the water.
6. Archaic. the breaking of waves; the dashing of surf.
7. Obsolete. wound 1 .
–verb (used with object)
8. to make a breach or opening in.
9. to break or act contrary to (a law, promise, etc.).
–verb (used without object)
10. (of a whale) to leap partly or completely out of the water, head first, and land on the back or belly with a resounding splash.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME breche, OE bræc breaking; see break

Related forms:
breacher, noun

Synonyms:
1. fracture. 2. 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. 3. crack, rent, opening. 4. alienation, split, rift, schism, separation; dissension.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To breach
breach   (brēch)   
n.  

    1. An opening, a tear, or a rupture.

    2. A gap or rift, especially in or as if in a solid structure such as a dike or fortification.

  2. A violation or infraction, as of a law, a legal obligation, or a promise.

  3. A breaking up or disruption of friendly relations; an estrangement.

  4. A leap of a whale from the water.

  5. The breaking of waves or surf.

v.   breached, breach·ing, breach·es

v.   tr.

  1. To make a hole or gap in; break through.

  2. To break or violate (an agreement, for example).

v.   intr.
To leap from the water: waiting for the whale to breach.

[Middle English breche, from Old English brēc; see bhreg- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These nouns denote an act or instance of breaking a law or regulation or failing to fulfill a duty, obligation, or promise. Breach and infraction are the least specific: Revealing the secret would be a breach of trust. Infractions of the rules will not be tolerated.
A violation is committed willfully and with complete lack of regard for legal, moral, or ethical considerations: In violation of her contract, she failed to appear.
Transgression most often applies to divine or moral law: "The children shall not be punished for the father's transgression" (Daniel Defoe).
Trespass implies willful intrusion on another's rights, possessions, or person: "In the limited and confined sense [trespass] signifies no more than an entry on another man's ground without a lawful authority" (William Blackstone).
Infringement is most frequently used to denote encroachment on another's rights: "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom" (William Pitt the Younger).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

breach 
O.E. bræc "a breaking," from brecan (see break), infl. by O.Fr. breche, from Frankish; both from P.Gmc. *brecho, *bræko "broken," from PIE base *bhreg-. Fig. sense of "a breaking of rules, etc." was in O.E. The verb is first recorded 1573.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: breach
Pronunciation: 'brEch
Function: noun
1 a : a violation in the performance of or a failure to perform an obligation created by a promise, duty, or law without excuse or justification
breach of duty
: a breach of a duty esp. by a fiduciary (as an agent or corporate officer) in carrying out the functions of his or her position
breach of trust
: a breach by a trustee of the terms of a trust (as by stealing from or carelessly mishandling the funds)
breach of warranty
: a breach by a seller of the terms of a warranty (as by the failure of the goods to conform to the seller's description or by a defect in title)
NOTE: A seller may be liable for a breach of warranty even without any negligence or misconduct. b : failure without excuse or justification to fulfill one's obligations under a contract called also breach of contract —compare REPUDIATION
an·tic·i·pa·to·ry breach
: a breach of contract that occurs as a result of a party's anticipatory repudiation of the contract
ef·fi·cient breach
: breach of contract in economic theory in which it is more profitable for the breaching party to breach the contract and pay damages than to perform under the contract
ma·te·ri·al breach
: a breach of contract that is so substantial that it defeats the purpose of the parties in making the contract and gives the nonbreaching party the right to cancel the contract and sue for damages —compare substantial performance at PERFORMANCE
NOTE: Whether a breach is material is a question of fact. Under the Restatement (Second) of Contracts, a material breach gives rise to the right to suspend performance but not to cancel the contract until there is a total breach.
par·tial breach
: a breach of contract in which the breaching party's nonperformance is minor and gives rise to the right to sue for damages but not to suspend performance or cancel the contract —compare part performance at PERFORMANCE
to·tal breach
: a breach of contract under the Restatement (Second) of Contracts that is so substantial that it gives rise to the right to cancel the contract and sue for damages
2 a : a violation or disturbance of something (as a law or condition) breaches of the rules of procedure —In re D.L.B., 429 North Eastern Reporter, Second Series 615 (1981)> breach of security>; especially : BREACH OF THE PEACE b : an act of breaking out <breach of prison>
3 : the condition of having committed a breach of contract —used in the phrase in breach breach is entitled to expenses —C&S/Sovran Corporation v. First Federal Savings Bank of Brunswick, 463 South Eastern Reporter, Second Series 892 (1995)> —breach verb —breach·er noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Breach

an opening in a wall (1 Kings 11:27; 2 Kings 12:5); the fracture of a limb (Lev. 24:20), and hence the expression, "Heal, etc." (Ps. 60:2). Judg. 5:17, a bay or harbour; R.V., "by his creeks."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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