trespass

trespass

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: trĕs'pəs, IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɛspəs/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• (US) enPR: trĕs'pǎs, IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɛspæs/

Etymology 1

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

Noun

trespass (countable and uncountable, plural trespasses)

1. (law) An intentional interference with another's property or person.
   • 2019 December 18, Andrew Roden, “New measurements reveal improvement in punctuality”, in Rail, page 24:

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

   • 2020 June 17, “Stop & Examine”, in Rail, page 71:

     Network Rail has produced a free downloadable comic highlighting the consequences of railway trespass. Between March 23 and April 26, there were 1,024 trespass incidents on the railway. [...] it is based on the company's award-winning safety film 18, which shows the dangers of trespass, especially around electrified lines.

2. (archaic) sin
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Matthew 6:14–15:

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

Derived terms

• anti-trespass, antitrespass
• cybertrespass
• light trespass
• trespass on the case
• trespassory

 

Related terms

• traipse

 

Translations

law

Bulgarian: простъпка (bg) f (prostǎpka), нарушение (bg) n (narušenie) Chinese: Mandarin: 侵入 (zh) (qīnrù) Dutch: huisvredebreuk (nl) f Finnish: kotirauhan rikkominen, julkisrauhan rikkominen German: Hausfriedensbruch (de) m, Landfriedensbruch m Greek: παράνομη είσοδος f (paránomi eísodos), παραβίαση (el) f (paravíasi) Hebrew: הִסִּיג גְּבוּל‎ (he) (hisíg gvul) Hungarian: magánlaksértés, birtokháborítás (hu) Irish: Modern Irish: treaspás m Old Irish: caithig f Japanese: 不法侵入 (ふほうしんにゅう, fufō-shinnyū), 侵入 (ja) (しんにゅう, shinnyū) Portuguese: invasão (pt) f Russian: посяга́тельство (ru) n (posjagátelʹstvo), наруше́ние (ru) n (narušénije) (владе́ния) Scottish Gaelic: coire f Spanish: allanamiento (es) m, traspaso (es) m, invasión (es) f, incursión (es) f Welsh: tresmasiad m

sin — see sin

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: (please verify) trespas (fr)

Etymology 2

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

Verb

trespass (third-person singular simple present trespasses, present participle trespassing, simple past and past participle trespassed)

1. (intransitive, now rare) To commit an offence; to sin.

   Synonym: transgress

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 2 Chronicles 28:22:

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

2. (transitive, obsolete) To offend against, to wrong (someone).
   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], OCLC 762018299, Matthew vj:[14]]:

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

3. (intransitive) To go too far; to put someone to inconvenience by demand or importunity; to intrude.

   Synonym: cross the line

   to trespass upon the time or patience of another

   • 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice, volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton […], OCLC 38659585:

     "Indeed I have, sir," was her answer. "She is a great deal too ill to be moved. Mr. Jones says we must not think of moving her. We must trespass a little longer on your kindness."

4. (law) To enter someone else's property illegally.
5. (obsolete) To pass beyond a limit or boundary; hence, to depart; to go.

   Synonyms: exceed, surpass, transcend

   • 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.

6. (transitive) To decree that a person shall be arrested for trespassing if he or she returns to someone else's land.

   The dean trespassed the streaker from his university.

   • 2012 June 21, Greg O'Connor, “Criminal trespasses police officers”, in Stuff‎:

     The entire police force has in effect been trespassed from a Wellington property to stop officers checking whether a heavy-sleeping offender is complying with an overnight bail curfew.

Derived terms

• trespasser

Translations

to commit an offence

Bulgarian: нарушавам (bg) (narušavam) Finnish: rikkoa (fi) Greek: παραβαίνω (el) (paravaíno) Hungarian: vétkezik (hu) Japanese: 侵害する (しんがいする, shingai suru) Maori: hara Portuguese: infringir (pt) Romanian: păcătui (ro), viola (ro) Russian: посяга́ть (ru) impf (posjagátʹ), посягну́ть (ru) pf (posjagnútʹ), наруша́ть (ru) impf (narušátʹ), нару́шить (ru) pf (narúšitʹ) Spanish: ofender (es), pecar (es)

(obsolete in English) to offend against

Finnish: rikkoa (fi) Japanese: 侵害する (しんがいする, shingai suru) Portuguese: ofender (pt) Spanish: ofender (es)

to go too far

Finnish: mennä liian pitkälle Hungarian: visszaél (hu)

legal: to enter someone else's property illegally

Chinese: Mandarin: 侵入 (zh) (qīnrù) Finnish: tunkeutua (fi) German: unbefugt betreten, unerlaubt betreten, eindringen (de), übertreten (de) Greek: καταπατώ (el) (katapató), εισέρχομαι παρανόμως (eisérchomai paranómos) Hungarian: birtokháborítást/magánlaksértést követ el, behatol a birtokára Japanese: 不法侵入する (ふほうしんにゅうする, fufō-shinnyū suru) Korean: 불법 침입하다 (bulbeop chimiphada) Maori: kaihaumi, haere pokanoa Portuguese: invadir (pt)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: (please verify) schenden (nl) French: (please verify) enfreindre (fr) (please verify) entrer par effraction Mandarin: (please verify) 侵入 (zh) Slovak: (please verify) porušenie Spanish: (please verify) violar (es), (please verify) traspasar (es)

Further reading

• trespass in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• trespass in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• trespass at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “trespass”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• pastress, sparsest