Breach — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈbrēch/

Meaning & Definition of Breach

Breach (noun)

  1. infraction or violation of a law, obligation, tie, or standard
  2. a broken, ruptured, or torn condition or area
  3. a gap (as in a wall) made by battering

Breach (verb)

  1. to make a gap in by battering, to make a breach in
  2. break, violate
  3. to leap out of water

Breach (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a failure to uphold the requirements of law, duty, or obligation

    "the president's deliberate misstatements were widely seen as a breach of the public trust"

    similar: contravention, infraction, infringement, transgression, trespass, violation
    related: misconduct, misdemeanor, misfeasance, misprision, offense, sin, wrong, disregard, forgetting, ignoring, nonobservance, overlooking, delinquency, dereliction, neglect, encroachment, intrusion, invasion
    opposite: noninfringement, observance
    near: respecting, upholding

  2. a breaking of a moral or legal code

    "cheating on the exam was a serious breach of the military academy's honor code"

    similar: crime, debt, error, lawbreaking, malefaction, misdeed, misdoing, offense, sin, transgression, trespass, violation, wrongdoing
    related: bias crime, hate crime, felony, misconduct, misdemeanor, misfeasance, fault, foible, peccadillo, break, infringement, immorality, iniquitousness, iniquity, sinfulness, vice, wickedness, corruption, debauchery, depravity, licentiousness, abuse, criminality, illegality, lawlessness, unlawfulness, descent, downfall, fall
    opposite: noncrime
    near: blamelessness, faultlessness, guiltlessness, impeccability, innocence, irreproachability, goodness, morality, righteousness, virtue, virtuousness

  3. an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge)

    "the cat got out of the yard through a breach in the hedge"

    similar: break, discontinuity, gap, gulf, hiatus, hole, interstice, interval, opening, rent, rift, separation, void
    related: chink, cleft, crack, cranny, crevice, fissure, notch, slit, slot, split, interspace, pore, abyss, aperture, cavity, chasm, gape, orifice, fracture, rupture, severance, sundering

Breach (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to fail to keep

    "a builder being sued by a homeowner for breaching a contract"

    similar: break, contravene, fracture, infringe (on or upon), offend, traduce, transgress, violate
    related: disobey, rebel, blow off, brush (off), disregard, flout, ignore, neglect, overlook, overpass, pass over, slight, tune out, wink (at), dismiss, pooh-pooh, scorn, shrug off, defy, resist, withstand
    opposite: comply (with), conform (to), follow, mind, obey, observe
    near: defer (to), serve, submit (to), surrender (to), yield (to), attend, hear, heed, listen (to), mark, note, notice, regard, watch

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Breach

The most common words with a similar meaning to Breach:

contravention, infraction, infringement, transgression, trespass, violation, crime, debt, error, lawbreaking, malefaction, misdeed, misdoing, offense, sin, wrongdoing, break, discontinuity, gap, gulf, hiatus, hole, interstice, interval, opening, rent, rift, separation, void, contravene, fracture, infringe (on or upon), offend, traduce, transgress, violate

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Breach

Words with the opposite meaning of Breach:

noninfringement, observance, noncrime, comply (with), conform (to), follow, mind, obey, observe

Related Words for Breach

misconduct, misdemeanor, misfeasance, misprision, wrong, disregard, forgetting, ignoring, nonobservance, overlooking, delinquency, dereliction, neglect, encroachment, intrusion, invasion, bias crime, hate crime, felony, fault, foible, peccadillo, immorality, iniquitousness, iniquity, sinfulness, vice, wickedness, corruption, debauchery

Near Antonyms of Breach

respecting, upholding, blamelessness, faultlessness, guiltlessness, impeccability, innocence, irreproachability, goodness, morality, righteousness, virtue, virtuousness, defer (to), serve, submit (to), surrender (to), yield (to), attend, hear, heed, listen (to), mark, note, notice, regard, watch

Word Forms of Breach

Inflections: breached, breaching, breaches

Origin & Etymology of Breach

Middle English breche "act of breaking, opening in a wall, violation," probably in part continuing Old English brǣc "act of breaking" (derivative from base of brecan "to break"), in part borrowed from Anglo-French & continental Old French breche "break, gap," going back to Old Low Franconian *breka, derivative of *brekan "to break," going back to Germanic *brekan- break:1

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Breach

Words & Phrases Containing Breach

breach of promise, breach of confidentiality, breach of contract, breach of the peace, a breach of the peace, into the breach

Frequently Asked Questions about Breach

What does "Breach" mean?

"Breach" means infraction or violation of a law, obligation, tie, or standard. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: infraction or violation of a law, obligation, tie, or standard. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Breach"?

Other words for "Breach" include contravention, infraction, infringement, transgression, trespass, violation, crime and debt. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Breach" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Breach"?

There are 116 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Breach". Common alternatives include contravention, infraction, infringement, transgression, trespass, violation, crime, debt, error and lawbreaking.

What is the opposite of "Breach"?

Antonyms of "Breach" include noninfringement, observance, noncrime, comply (with), conform (to), follow, mind and obey. Near antonyms include respecting, upholding, blamelessness and faultlessness.

How do you use "Breach" in a sentence?

Examples of "Breach" in a sentence: "the president's deliberate misstatements were widely seen as a breach of the public trust"; "cheating on the exam was a serious breach of the military academy's honor code"; "the cat got out of the yard through a breach in the hedge".

Is "Breach" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Breach" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Breach" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Breach" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Breach"?

"Breach" is pronounced /ˈbrēch/.