breach

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. An opening, a tear, or a rupture.
2. n. A gap or rift, especially in or as if in a solid structure such as a dike or fortification.
3. n. A violation or infraction, as of a law, a legal obligation, or a promise.
4. n. A breaking up or disruption of friendly relations; an estrangement.
5. n. A leap of a whale from the water.
6. n. The breaking of waves or surf.
7. v. To make a hole or gap in; break through.
8. v. To break or violate (an agreement, for example).
9. v. To leap from the water: waiting for the whale to breach.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of breaking: now used only figuratively of the violation or neglect of a law, contract, or any other obligation, or of a custom.
2. n. An opening made by breaking down a portion of a solid body, as a wall, a dike, or a river-bank; a rupture; a break; a gap.
3. n. A break or interruption in utterance.
4. n. A rupture of friendly relations; difference; quarrel.
5. n. Infraction; violation; infringement: as, a breach of the peace, of a promise, or of a contract.
6. n. Injury; would; bruise.
7. n. The breaking of waves; the dashing of surf.
8. To make a breach or opening in.
9. To spring from the water, as a whale.

Wiktionary

1. n. The act of breaking, in a figurative sense.
2. n. law A breaking or infraction of a law, or of any obligation or tie; violation; non-fulfillment; as, a breach of contract; a breach of promise.
3. n. A gap or opening made by breaking or battering, as in a wall, fortification or levee; the space between the parts of a solid body rent by violence; a break; a rupture; a fissure.
4. n. A breaking up of amicable relations, a falling-out.
5. n. A breaking of waters, as over a vessel or a coastal defence; the waters themselves; surge; surf.
6. n. A breaking out upon; an assault.
7. n. archaic A bruise; a wound.
8. n. archaic A hernia; a rupture.
9. v. transitive To make a breach in.
10. v. transitive To violate or break.
11. v. transitive, nautical, of the sea , to break into a ship or into a coastal defence
12. v. intransitive (of a whale) to leap clear out of the water

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of breaking, in a figurative sense.
2. n. Specifically: A breaking or infraction of a law, or of any obligation or tie; violation; non-fulfillment.
3. n. A gap or opening made made by breaking or battering, as in a wall or fortification; the space between the parts of a solid body rent by violence; a break; a rupture.
4. n. A breaking of waters, as over a vessel; the waters themselves; surge; surf.
5. n. A breaking up of amicable relations; rupture.
6. n. A bruise; a wound.
7. n. (Med.) A hernia; a rupture.
8. n. A breaking out upon; an assault.
9. v. To make a breach or opening in.
10. v. To break the water, as by leaping out; -- said of a whale.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an opening (especially a gap in a dike or fortification)
2. n. a failure to perform some promised act or obligation
3. v. make an opening or gap in
4. n. a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)
5. v. act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises