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breach

n. · v.
US //ˈbɹitʃ// UK //bɹˈiːtʃ// breach
  1. 1 breaking a rule or law (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Law

    an act of breaking a law, promise, or agreement.

    an infraction or violation of a legal obligation, contract, or code of conduct.

    Example

    The company was sued for a breach of contract after they failed to deliver the goods.

    Example

    The legal team argued that the disclosure of confidential documents constituted a material breach of the non-disclosure agreement signed last year.

    Usage

    Often used in the phrase 'breach of contract' or 'breach of trust'.
  2. 2 security failure (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Computing

    an event where a computer system is entered without permission.

    an incident in which sensitive, protected, or confidential data is accessed or stolen by an unauthorised person.

    Example

    The bank notified its customers about a data breach that exposed their credit card numbers.

    Example

    Following the massive security breach, the IT department implemented multi-factor authentication across all internal servers to prevent future intrusions.
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  1. 3 a physical gap (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    a hole or opening made in a wall, fence, or defensive line.

    a physical gap or opening created by force in a fortification, wall, or barrier.

    Example

    The soldiers managed to climb through a breach in the castle wall.

    Example

    Floodwaters poured through a narrow breach in the levee, threatening to submerge the low-lying farmland within hours.
  2. 4 whale jumping (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    when a whale or dolphin leaps out of the water.

    to leap clear of the water, typically said of whales or other large marine mammals.

    Example

    We were lucky to see a humpback whale breach right next to our boat.

    Example

    Marine biologists observed the pod for several hours, recording the frequency with which the younger males would breach during the mating season.
Origin

From Middle English breche, from Old English bryċe (“fracture, breach”) and brǣċ (“breach, breaking, destruction”), from Proto-West Germanic bruki, from Proto-Germanic brukiz (“breach, fissure”) and *brēkō (“breaking”).

Idioms1 entry

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