Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

2 N‑VAR A breach of an agreement, a law, or a promise is an act of breaking it. □ [+ of ] The congressman was accused of a breach of secrecy rules. □ [+ of ] …a $1 billion breach of contract suit.

3 N‑COUNT A breach in a relationship is a serious disagreement which often results in the relationship ending. [FORMAL ] □ [+ in ] Their actions threatened a serious breach in relations between the two countries. □ [+ between ] Little happens to heal the breach between the two warring factions.

4 VERB If someone or something breaches a barrier, they make an opening in it, usually leaving it weakened or destroyed. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Fire may have breached the cargo tanks and set the oil ablaze.

5 VERB If you breach someone's security or their defences, you manage to get through and attack an area that is heavily guarded and protected. □ [V n] The bomber had breached security by hurling his dynamite from a roof overlooking the building. ● N‑COUNT Breach is also a noun. □  …widespread breaches of security at Ministry of Defence bases.

6 PHRASE If you step into the breach , you do a job or task which someone else was supposed to do or has done in the past, because they are suddenly unable to do it. □  I was persuaded to step into the breach temporarily when they became too ill to continue.

brea ch of the pea ce (breaches of the peace ) N‑VAR A breach of the peace is noisy or violent behaviour in a public place which is illegal because it disturbs other people. [LEGAL ] □  He admitted causing a breach of the peace. □  Four men were found guilty of breach of the peace.

bread ◆◇◇ /bre d/ (breads , breading , breaded )

1 N‑VAR Bread is a very common food made from flour, water, and yeast. □  …a loaf of bread. □  There is more fibre in wholemeal bread than in white bread.

2 VERB [usu passive] If food such as fish or meat is breaded , it is covered in tiny pieces of dry bread called breadcrumbs. It can then be fried or grilled. □ [be V -ed] It is important that food be breaded just minutes before frying. ●  bread|ed ADJ □  …breaded fish.

brea d and bu t|ter also bread-and-butter

1 N‑UNCOUNT [usu with poss] Something that is the bread and butter of a person or organization is the activity or work that provides the main part of their income. □  The mobile phone business was actually his bread and butter.

2 ADJ [ADJ n] Bread and butter issues or matters are ones which are important to most people, because they affect them personally. □  The opposition gained support by concentrating on bread-and-butter matters.

brea d bas|ket (bread baskets ) also breadbasket N‑COUNT [usu with poss] If an area or region is described as the bread basket of a country, it provides a lot of the food for that country because crops grow very easily there. It therefore produces wealth for the country. □  The north-west became the country's bread basket.

brea d bin (bread bins ) N‑COUNT A bread bin is a wooden, metal, or plastic container for storing bread. [BRIT ] in AM, use breadbox

bread|board /bre dbɔː ^r d/ (breadboards ) also bread board N‑COUNT A breadboard is a flat piece of wood used for cutting bread on.

bread|box /bre dbɒks/ (breadboxes ) also bread box N‑COUNT A breadbox is the same as a bread bin . [AM ]

bread|crumb /bre dkrʌm/ (breadcrumbs ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Breadcrumbs are tiny pieces of dry bread. They are used in cooking.

bread|fruit /bre dfruːt/ (breadfruit ) N‑VAR Breadfruit are large round fruit that grow on trees in the Pacific Islands and in tropical parts of America and that, when baked, look and feel like bread.