/ briːtʃ; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C , U ] breach of sth a failure to do sth that must be done by law :
a breach of contract / copyright / warranty
They are in breach of Article 119.
( BrE )
(a) breach of the peace (= the crime of behaving in a noisy or violent way in public)
2.
[ C , U ] breach of sth an action that breaks an agreement to behave in a particular way :
a breach of confidence / trust
a breach of security (= when sth that is normally protected is no longer secure)
3.
[ C ] a break in a relationship between people or countries :
a breach in Franco-German relations
4.
[ C ] an opening that is created during a military attack or by strong winds or seas :
They escaped through a breach in the wire fence.
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IDIOMS
see step verb
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
to not keep to an agreement or not keep a promise
SYN break :
The government is accused of breaching the terms of the treaty.
2.
to make a hole in a wall, fence, etc. so that sb/sth can go through it :
The dam had been breached.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French breche , ultimately of Germanic origin; related to break .