breach

breach1 [ britʃ ] noun count **

1. ) a failure to follow a law or rule:

breach of: Reproduction of the CD constitutes a breach of copyright.

be in breach of something: The company was found to be in breach of environmental regulations.

a ) a failure to do something that you have promised to do or that people expect you to do:

breach of contract: If you don't deliver on time, you could be sued for breach of contract.

breach of trust/confidentiality: a clear breach of patient confidentiality

b ) a situation in which someone does something that goes against accepted rules of social behavior:

an embarrassing breach of etiquette

2. ) FORMAL a serious disagreement:

This could lead to a major breach in our relationship with China.

3. ) FORMAL a space made in a wall, fence, or line of defense, especially during a military attack

breach of security

a situation in which someone gets into a place that is usually guarded, or discovers information that should be kept secret

step into the breach OFTEN HUMOROUS

to help someone or do someone's job for them when they are unable to do it

breach

breach 2 [ britʃ ] verb transitive FORMAL *

1. ) to break a law, rule, or agreement:

His former employer admitted breaching health and safety regulations.

2. ) to get through something such as a wall or fence:

The high waters had breached the town's flood defenses.

breach security

to get into a place that is usually guarded, or discover information that should be kept secret:

A group of protesters breached security and got inside the military base.