Blog/2025-12-10/Trespass

The word "trespass" is interesting in what it has changed to. Like many other words in the law enforcement or legal space, "I will charge you with X-ing" or "I will eject you for Y" has become "I will X you" or "I will Y you". 'Trespass' is particularly interesting because it was already a transitive verb which has caused me some confusion when reading other people's texts. Here's a typical use that someone might make.

Reddit•r/bayarea

Social worker fatally stabbed at SF hospital remembered by community as 'devoted to his patients'

...
So it’s a weird situation where it’s legal to have a gun in a hospital, but if the hospital can find it they can trespass you and make you leave...

u/motosandguns•Tue Dec 9 17:57:54 2025 UTC•42 points

This usage is quite common across Reddit and so on, but my university also has it among their policies:

Persons may be trespassed from University property on grounds including but not limited to the following...

— North Carolina State University, Policies, Regulations & Rules

I had a moment while drinking coffee this morning to look it up, and other people have also noticed this. It seems to be a phenomenon dating back to the '90s, but must not have been as common outside of the US because I've only really noticed in the last few years.

The verbing a noun is quite common in English, obviously, and even in law-enforcement contexts:

Reddit•r/BipolarSOs

In the middle of it– Husband is manic and just committed for a Baker Act Hold

...After a weekend full of police being called and 4 trips to the psych hospital, they chose to Baker Act him, which is a 72 hour involuntary hold...

u/c-faux•Sep 22, 2024•5 points•14 comments

So the whole thing shouldn't be surprising. About the only reason I noticed is that this time the noun is also an identically spelled transitive verb. This must be the only case of a transitive verb where the subject and object flip places in two different meanings!