breach

noun

1. 1

   A gap or opening made by breaking or battering, as in a wall, fortification or levee / embankment; the space between the parts of a solid body rent by violence.

   "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead."

2. 2

   The act of breaking, in a figurative sense.

   But were the poet to make a total difression from his subject, and introduce a new actor, nowise connected with the personages, the imagination, feeling a breach in transition, would enter coldly into the new scene;

3. 3

   A breaking or infraction of a law, or of any obligation or tie; violation; non-fulfillment.

   breach of promise

4. 4

   A breaking up of amicable relations, a falling out.

   There's fallen between him and my lord / An unkind breach.

5. 5

   figurativeA difference in opinions, social class, etc.

   For London to have its own exclusive immigration policy would exacerbate the sense that immigration benefits only certain groups and disadvantages the rest. It would entrench the gap between London and the rest of the nation. And it would widen the breach between the public and the elite that has helped fuel anti-immigrant hostility.

6. 6

   A breaking of waters, as over a vessel or a coastal defence; the waters themselves.

   A clear breach is when the waves roll over the vessel without breaking. A clean breach is when everything on deck is swept away.

   And Dauid came to Baal-Perazim, and Daiud ſmote them there, and ſaid, The Lord hath broken foorth vpon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters.

   I cast my eye to the stranded vessel, when, the breach and froth of the sea being so big, I could hardly see it, it lay so far of; and considered, Lord! how was it possible I could get on shore.

7. 7

   A breaking out upon; an assault.

   And Dauid was diſpleaſed, becauſe the Lord had made a breach vpon Uzza; wherefore that place is called Perez-Uzza, to this day.

8. 8

   archaicA bruise; a wound.

   An vncouth paine torments my grieued ſoule, And death arreſts the organe of my voyce. Who entring at the breach thy ſword hath made, Sackes euery vaine and artier of my heart, […]

   Breach, for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath cauſed a blemiſh in a man, ſo ſhall it be done to him againe.

9. 9

   archaicA hernia; a rupture.

verb

1. 1

   To make a breach in.

   They breached the outer wall, but not the main one.

2. 2

   To violate or break.

   breach an agreement

   breach an accord

   "I therefore agree with the Court that the Government did breach its contract with petitioners in failing to approve, within 30 days of its receipt, the plan of exploration petitioners submitted."

3. 3

   To break into a ship or into a coastal defence.

   On this occasion, the damage was far more serious. The sea wall was breached completely for a distance of over 50 yd., and the gap had to be bridged by a temporary timber viaduct.

4. 4

   To suffer a breach.

   Picard: We don't have time for this! The Pasteur’s core is going to breach!

5. 5

   To leap out of the water.

   The fearless whale-fishermen now found themselves in the midst of the monsters; ... some ... came jumping into the light of day, head uppermost, exhibiting their entire bodies in the sun, and falling on their sides into the water with the weight of a hundred tons, and thus "breaching" with a crash that the thunder of a park of artillery could scarcely equal.

   But one of its most surprising feats, as has been mentioned of the genera already described, is leaping completely out of the water, or 'breaching,' as it is called. ... it seldom breaches more than twice or thrice at a time, and in quick succession.

6. 6

   informalTo charge, convict or take legal action against someone due to not meeting a legal obligation.

   […]the Pre-Sentence Report states that: "He was breached by the probation officer within several months of the commencement of the Probation Order for failing to report as he relocated to another Province and did not report there as directed.[…]"

   However, you can breach your landlord if the maintenance item is considered an emergency repair under the terms of your lease.

   Tenants have a right to breach a landlord for a failure to undertake necessary maintenance.

   "We breached them for a number of code breaches and we recommended to the Nine Network that they publish that and essentially what we were saying is that if you do that then we'll consider the file closed," Mr Chapman said.

Forms

plural

breaches

past tense

breached

past participle

breached

present participle

breaching

third person singular

breaches