trespass

English

Pronunciation
  • (US) enPR: trĕs'pǎs, IPA(key): /ˈtɹɛspæs/
  • (UK) enPR: trĕs'pəs, IPA(key): /ˈtɹɛspəs/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • Hyphenation: tres‧pass

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
Derived terms
Translations
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.

Etymology 2

From Middle English trespassen, borrowed 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
  2. (transitive, obsolete) To offend against, to wrong (someone).
  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: […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
      "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
  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.
    • 1996 April 16, Glenn Campbell, “Another Business Office Found”, in The Groom Lake Desert Rat‎, number 35, Rachel, NV, archived from the original on 23 February 1998:
      "You were trespassing on private property when you were taking pictures," he said, with no hint of courtesy. "I must trespass you. Come with me."
    • 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
Translations
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

Further reading

Anagrams
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