Trespass

//ˈtɹɛspæs// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An intentional interference with another's property or person. countable, uncountable

    "External infrastructure issues such as severe weather and trespass caused 17.1% of [train] cancellations, [...]."

  2. 2
    entry to another's property without right or permission wordnet
  3. 3
    sin archaic, countable, uncountable

    "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us"

  4. 4
    a wrongful interference with the possession of property (personal property as well as realty), or the action instituted to recover damages wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To commit an offence; to sin. archaic, intransitive

    "In the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord."

  2. 2
    pass beyond (limits or boundaries) wordnet
  3. 3
    To offend against, to wrong (someone). obsolete, transitive

    "And forgeve us oure trespases, even as we forgeve them which trespas us."

  4. 4
    commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law wordnet
  5. 5
    To go too far; to put someone to inconvenience by demand or importunity; to intrude. intransitive

    "to trespass upon the time or patience of another"

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    break the law wordnet
  2. 7
    To enter someone else's property illegally.
  3. 8
    make excessive use of wordnet
  4. 9
    To pass beyond a limit or boundary; hence, to depart; to go. obsolete

    "1523–1525, Jean Froissart, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (translator), Froissart's Chronicles Soon after this, noble Robert de Bruce […] trespassed out of this uncertain world."

  5. 10
    enter unlawfully on someone's property wordnet
  6. 11
    To subject [someone] to a trespass notice, formally notifying them that they are prohibited from entry to a property, such that any current or future presence there will constitute trespass, (especially) criminal trespass New-Zealand, especially, transitive

    "The dean trespassed the streaker from his university."

Synonyms

All synonyms
sintransgresstransgressaccroachadoptadoption

Example

More examples

"It was foolish of him to trespass against the law."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Borrowed into Middle English trespas, from Old French trespas (“passage; offense against the law”), from trespasser.

Etymology 2

From Middle English trespassen, borrowed from Old French trespasser (“to go across or over, transgress”), from tres- (“across, over”) + passer (“to pass”).

Related phrases

anti-trespasslight trespasstrespass offeringtrespass on the casetrespass to chattels

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.