breach

[breech] /britʃ/
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, wound1 .
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
before 1000; Middle English breche, Old English bræc breaking; see break
Related forms
breacher, noun
nonbreach, noun
nonbreaching, adjective
unbreached, adjective
Can be confused
breach, breech (see synonym study at the current entry)
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.
Examples from the web for breach
  • Failing to take attendance, for instance, is not only a violation of policy but also a felony breach of security.
  • The suit is claiming breach of contract, copyright infringement and breach of confidential relationship.
  • The breach could have revealed medical records of of more than 100000 women whose data were studied.
  • To avert such a breach of interplanetary diplomacy, we should set aside a special area to receive space visitors peacefully.
  • Military strategists feared that retreating could open up a hole in the frontline, leading to a larger breach.
  • We can give such technological help and be the participants of such breach.
  • Such a breach, if it happened in critical areas, could cause a shuttle and crew to burn up on reentry.
  • And this makes their heinous breach of parental olfactory responsibilities all the more incomprehensible.
  • Reasoning from a false premise is a gross breach of logic, as you certainly ought to know.
  • And you need an observation tower if you're going to spot invading armies before they breach your walls and overtake your kingdom.
British Dictionary definitions for breach

breach

/briːtʃ/
noun
1.
a crack, break, or rupture
2.
a breaking, infringement, or violation of a promise, obligation, etc
3.
any severance or separation: there was a breach between the two factions of the party
4.
a gap in an enemy's fortifications or line of defence created by bombardment or attack
5.
the act of a whale in breaking clear of the water
6.
the breaking of sea waves on a shore or rock
7.
an obsolete word for wound1
verb
8.
(transitive) to break through or make an opening, hole, or incursion in
9.
(transitive) to break a promise, law, etc
10.
(intransitive) (of a whale) to break clear of the water
Word Origin
Old English bræc; influenced by Old French brèche, from Old High German brecha, from brechan to break
Word Origin and History for breach
n.

Old English bryce "breach, fracture, a breaking," from brecan (see break), influenced by Old French breche "breach, opening, gap," from Frankish; both from Proto-Germanic *brecho, *bræko "broken," from PIE root *bhreg- "to break" (see fraction). Figurative sense of "a breaking of rules, etc." was in Old English Breach of contract is at least from 1660s.

v.

1570s, from breach (n.). Related: Breached; breaching.

breach in the Bible

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."