Definition of BREACHES (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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The simple fact that Musk loyalists are in the building with their own computers is the heart of the problem—and helps explain why activities ostensibly authorized by the president are widely viewed as a catastrophic data breach. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025 If a corporation has a data breach, there’s usually a resulting flurry of class-action lawsuits by the parties whose data was compromised. —Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
The department also has records of at least 86,000 workers compensation claims from 2024 alone that could be breached by DOGE, the suit said. —Laura Romero, ABC News, 7 Feb. 2025 Because student information systems are decentralized, parents may still be in the dark as to whether their children’s information was breached, advocates warned. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for breach 
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 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 10 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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