breach
noun [ C or U ]
LAW uk/briːtʃ/ usa failure to obey a law or to do what was promised or agreed:
breach of sth Companies face fines of up to €75,000 for each breach of the legislation.
be/constitute a breach To publish in this form would constitute a breach of copyright.
a clear/flagrant/blatant breach His refusal to account for the money was a flagrant breach of all rules of professional conduct.
a serious/fundamental/grave breach
a possible/potential/alleged breach
The property developer was awarded $2,000,000 for breach of contract over the restaurant chain's withdrawal from a lease.
Both the Stock Exchange and the panel cleared the bank of any breach of regulations or insider-trading.
The public are used to breaches of promise by governments.
See also
anticipatory breach
breach of confidence
breach of duty
breach of fiduciary duty
breach of trust
breach of warranty
breach of the peace
the offence of illegal, noisy, or violent behaviour:
He was charged with breach of the peace at a blockade of the naval base last March.
be in breach of sth
to be breaking a particular law or rule:
Checks at Companies House show the firm is nearly 10 months overdue with its accounts in breach of company law.
The vendor will be required to warrant that it is not in breach of any of the contracts of employment.
breach
verb [ T ]
LAW formal uk/briːtʃ/ usto not obey a law or to not do what was promised or agreed:
The corporation was sued for allegedly breaching a contract to supply voice-mail systems.
The organization's conduct during the conflict breached international law, according to a leading human rights group.
breach rules/regulations
Since the group warned it was in danger of breaching its banking covenants last week, the shares have tumbled 47%.