breach
breach Lexical Profile
breach Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct.
"Sharing confidential client information with a third party constitutes a serious breach of contract."
A gap or opening made in a wall, barrier, or defensive system, including unauthorized access to a digital network.
"The cybersecurity team worked through the night to contain the data breach and secure user passwords."
A disruption or breakdown in friendly relations between people or groups.
"Years of open dialogue finally healed the bitter breach between the two neighboring communities."
A leap by a whale or other marine mammal out of the water.
"The passengers on the boat gasped in awe at the humpback whale's sudden breach near the bow."
• verb
To break or fail to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct.
"The regulatory board fined the corporation after it breached environmental safety standards."
To make a gap in and break through a wall, barrier, or defensive system.
"Floodwaters surged after the swollen river breached the earthen levee during the storm."
To rise and break through the surface of the water (especially of a whale or other marine mammal).
"We watched from the shoreline as several humpback whales breached in the bay."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'breach' with its homophone 'breech'; 'breach' refers to a violation of a rule or an opening in a barrier, whereas 'breech' refers to the rear part of a gun barrel or a fetus positioned feet-first in the womb.
• Rhymes for breach
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English breche, merging Old English brǣc ('a breaking, fracture') and Old French breche ('a gap or break'), both ultimately derived from the Proto-Germanic root *brekaną ('to break').