breach a contract

Meaning

This formal expression means to break, violate, or fail to fulfill the terms of a legally binding agreement. In everyday life, this occurs with rental agreements, employment contracts, service terms, or business deals.

Examples

• If you terminate the lease early, you will breach the contract and lose your deposit.

  If you terminate the lease early, you will breach the contract and lose your deposit.

• The construction company breached the contract by failing to complete the house on time.

  The construction company breached the contract by failing to complete the house on time.

• She was sued because she breached her contract with the publishing house.

  She was sued because she breached her contract with the publishing house.

• We need to make sure we don't breach the contract when we hire freelance designers.

  We need to make sure we don't breach the contract when we hire freelance designers.

• The lawyer advised that the other party had clearly breached the contract by sharing confidential data.

  The lawyer advised that the other party had clearly breached the contract by sharing confidential data.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He broke the contract rules.

  ✓ He breached the contract.

  While 'break a contract' is common in casual English, the precise, formal legal term is 'breach a contract' (not 'breach the contract rules').

• ✗ They made a breach of contract.

  ✓ They breached the contract.

  Use 'breach' directly as a verb ('to breach a contract') rather than using the wordy noun phrase 'make a breach of'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• If you fail to deliver the goods by Friday, you will ___.

  💡 Fail to fulfill the legal agreement.

  Show answer

  breach the contract

• The landlord cannot simply evict you without risking to ___.

  💡 Violate the lease agreement.

  Show answer

  breach the contract