ENGLISH
REFERENCE

trespass

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˈtɹɛsˌpæs// UK //tɹˈɛspəs// tres·pass Archaic

v. to go onto someone else's land or into their building without permission.

v. to enter the owner's land or property without permission or right. Often used in legal contexts regarding property rights.


SIMPLE

The sign says you cannot trespass on this land.

CONTEXTUAL

The hikers did not realize they were about to trespass on private property until they saw the fence.

COMPLEX

While the law generally forbids anyone to trespass on private estates, certain historical paths remain open to the public under traditional right-of-way agreements.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Borrowed into Middle English trespas, from Old French trespas (“passage; offense against the law”), from trespasser.

Etymology 2

From Middle English trespassen, borrowed from Old French trespasser (“to go across or over, transgress”), from tres- (“across, over”) + passer (“to pass”).

Usage

The verb is intransitive and typically takes the preposition 'on' before the noun phrase.

Pitfall

he trespassed the househe trespassed on the propertyTrespass is an intransitive verb; you must use 'on' or 'into' rather than a direct object.

© 2026 English Reference