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breach of contract

breach of contract

12 3.6
Failure to do what a contract requires, for example not delivering goods or not paying
  • noun
  • /briːtʃ əv ˈkɒntrækt/
  • Formal
translation icon : incumplimiento de contrato
  • Most federal courts permit a breach of contract claim even where a filed rate is involved.
  • lawsuit for breach of contract
  • Breach of contract claims

So the question is, was there a breach of contract?

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Examples

  • Rather than litigate, the parties decided to settle the breach of contract claim.

    Academic text (2017)
  • One of the biggest problems with the breach of contract claims in this lawsuit is that no actual contract exists.

  • You know, this is a breach of contract.

  • This is a breach of contract!

  • The district court dismissed all claims except for the breach of contract claim.

    Academic text (2017)
  • They're claiming breach of contract.

  • I may in fact have to sue someone for breach of contract, which I'm always loath to do.

  • And now this shockingly flagrant breach of contract!

  • It seems sweeney is suing me for breach of contract.

  • The district court dismissed all claims except for the breach of contract claim.

Antonyms

637 2.5

How well a person does a task or job

58 3.6

A feeling of happiness and satisfaction when you achieve something important

How Serious

material breach
  • Formal
6 8.2
breach of contract
  • Formal
12 3.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

breach + of + contract

The meaning 'failure to perform obligations under a contract' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'breach' (failure to observe an agreement) with 'contract' (a written agreement), with 'of' serving as a simple link. This noun + of + noun construction is compositional and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can reliably infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Breach of contract comes from a clear image: breach means a break or gap and contract is a formal promise between people. Imagine a bridge or promise that is broken. When that happens the deal fails, so a breach of contract means 'not keeping the promises in the contract'.