Definition of BREACH (original) (raw)
1
: infraction or violation of a law, obligation, tie, or standard
sued them for breach of contract
2
a
: a broken, ruptured, or torn condition or area
the leak was a major security breach
b
: a gap (as in a wall) made by battering
fixing a breach in the fence
once more unto the breach, dear friends, … or close the wall up with our English dead—
Shakespeare
3
a
: a break in accustomed friendly relations
caused a breach between the two countries
b
: a temporary gap in continuity : hiatus
4
: a leap especially of a whale out of water
Did you know?
If you are about to provide some much-needed assistance in a situation do you get ready to step (or leap, or jump) into the breach or the breech? The former. The sense of breach this expression applies to is “a gap (as in a wall) made by battering.” Breech, on the other hand, refers most often to a part of a rifle (near the rear of the barrel), the buttocks, or short pants which cover the hips and thighs (this sense is always found used in the plural, breeches). You may, if you are in a state of undress, step into your breeches before you step into the breach, but you would never step into your breaches before stepping into the breech.
Synonyms
Examples of breach in a Sentence
Noun
This is clearly a breach of the treaty. Many people consider her decision to be a breach of trust. The judge ruled that the doctor's actions were in breach of her contractual duty. Verb
He claims that the city breached an agreement by selling the property. Is he going to breach his contract? The army breached the castle wall.
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Sullivan, the former chief security officer (CSO) of Uber who was convicted of federal charges after covering up a 2016 data breach, now runs his own security consultancy. —Beenu Arora, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024 Just in the past five months, there have been four major data breaches including Ticketmaster, Change Healthcare, AT&T and National Public Data. —Michelle Castillo, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2024
The Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 42,000 this week for the first time ever, while the S & P 500 breached the 5,700 milestone, after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a half-percentage point. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2024 Swollen rivers breached their banks, submerging homes, streets and fields, forcing families to evacuate in search of higher ground. —Sarah Ferguson, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for breach 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breach.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
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- — more at break entry 1
Verb
derivative of breach entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1547, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of breach was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near breach
Cite this Entry
“Breach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breach. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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Last Updated: 16 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
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