violation

[ vahy-uh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of violating.
2. the state of being violated.
3. a breach, infringement, or transgression, as of a law, rule, promise, etc.:

   He was fined for a traffic violation.

4. desecration; profanation:

   the violation of a cemetery.

5. sexual molestation, especially rape.
6. a distortion of meaning or fact.

Other Words From

• vio·lation·al adjective
• nonvi·o·lation noun
• previ·o·lation noun
• revi·o·lation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of violation¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin violātiōn- (stem of violātiō ), equivalent to violāt ( us ) ( violate ) + -iōn- -ion

Synonym Study

See breach.

Example Sentences

Markert said the Facebook posts could pose a problem for the church if the IRS decides to investigate the violation.

From Los Angeles Times

French military technology is being used in Sudan's brutal civil war in violation of a UN arms embargo, rights organisation Amnesty International has said.

From BBC

Deliberately removing CMI with the intention of fostering copyright violations is a direct violation of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which governs intellectual property rights of producers of digital content.

From Los Angeles Times

Raw Story sought damages for OpenAI’s violation of the law and an injunction requiring the AI company to remove from its database all Raw Story content from which the CMI had been removed.

From Los Angeles Times

In a 5-4 decision involving the credit bureau TransUnion in 2021, the court declared that it is not enough for a plaintiff to sue over a defendant’s violation of a federal statute.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abuse
• contravention
• encroachment
• infraction
• infringement
• misdemeanor
• negligence
• offense
• transgression