violate

verb

ˈvī-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce violate (audio)
Definition of violatenext
1
as in to break
to fail to keep you've violated the company's rule against smoking within 30 feet of the building

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to desecrate
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect the invaders violated the temple by using it to stable their horses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to rape
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent criminal statutes delineating acts that constitute violating another person

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of violate Finally, the lawsuit said Brave violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by circumventing technological measures the NYT and other content owners use to restrict access to their articles. — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 3 Nov. 2026 In September, Numme sued her landlord, alleging that the elimination of her parking violates California’s fair housing and disability laws, as well as city tenant anti-harassment laws. — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026 The agency said undisclosed collection or use of personal information to personalize prices could violate the FTC Act’s prohibition on unfair or deceptive practices. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2026 Organizations that violate this would forfeit the privileges Montana grants them to do business in the state, including limited liability, which protects owners from personal responsibility for business debts. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for violate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violate
  1. break
  2. desecrate
  3. rape
  4. breach
  5. destroy
  6. assault
  7. contravene
  8. defile
Verb
  • Make universities answer for breaking their free-speech promises.
    — Ilya Shapiro, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The 39-year-old Crosby broke his tie with Kings great Marcel Dionne by scoring his 1,772nd point when Evgeni Malkin's one-timer deflected in off him in the second period.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of break
Verb
  • The iron is being brought back to strike at the heart of democracy, to desecrate the altar of the voting booth.
    — Seth Limmer, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The next day, February 9th, Nakira was charged with first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, desecrating human remains, and tampering with physical evidence.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of desecrate
Verb
  • London’s Southwark Crown Court has heard from the complainants, one of whom says she was raped by Brand in a Bournemouth hotel room after the Labour Party conference in 1999.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The third woman alleges that Brand squeezed her breasts at a party in Soho in 2004 and then orally raped her in a toilet.
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of rape
Verb
  • Continue reading … EQUAL GROUND — Federal prosecutors allege $25K payments to Black residents breach the Constitution.
    — , FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • While the early wear doesn’t make engines immediately unsafe, airlines face rising maintenance costs and operational strain from frequent inspections and part swaps before safety limits are breached.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of breach
Verb
  • Chemically destroying the channel in adult mouse osteocytes accelerated signs of aging far beyond the skeleton, affecting the brain, liver, and muscles.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The light generates highly reactive chlorine radicals that activate carbon atoms along the polymer chains without destroying them.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • An anti-corruption commission spokesperson told state media Wednesday that officers had gone to the lodge to seize a Lamborghini and a Mercedes-Benz when one of the officials was assaulted.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Brand had been accused of assaulting six women between 1999 and 2009.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of assault
Verb
  • Two years ago he was suspended for three months by the Cricket Regulator for betting on cricket between 2017 and 2019, contravening the game’s rules.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The ban contravenes advice from the World ​Health Organization, which advises against travel or trade restrictions with ​Congo, where officials are currently struggling to contain a large ⁠outbreak of Ebola.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 19 July 2026
Definition of contravene
Verb
  • The murder of the family is graphic enough, but what happens to Ethan and Ivy is far more perverse, especially when Ivy’s apparently dead body is defiled by one of the feral desert gang members.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Through the ball’s circular shape and its lack of color, the painting knowingly winks at Piet Mondrian’s Composition 10 in Black and White (1915), then defiles the Dutch modernist’s aesthetic purity.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of defile

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violable
violate
violated
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Cite this Entry

“Violate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violate. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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