Definition of: breach

(brēch) noun
1. The act of breaking; infraction; infringement.
2. Violation of duty, right, or legal obligation.
3. A gap or break, as in a wall, dike, etc.
4. A rupture of amicable relations; dissension; quarrel.
5. The breaking of waves or surf; a surge.
6. The leaping of a whale from the water.
7. Obs. An injury; wound.
—v.t. To make a breach in; break through. ◆ Homophone: breech. [<OE bryce breaking; infl. in form by F brèche fragment, piece. Akin to BREAK.] Synonyms (noun): chasm, chink, cleft, crack, cranny, crevice, fissure, flaw, hole, opening, rent, rupture. Compare BREAK, GAP, HOLE, QUARREL, RUPTURE. Antonyms: adhesion, connection, contact, contiguity, union, unity.