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An infraction is usually the breaking of a law, rule, or agreement. So a nation charged with an infraction of an international treaty will usually have to pay a penalty. In Federal law, an infraction is even smaller than a misdemeanor, and the only penalty is a fine. Most of us occasionally commit infractions of parking laws and get ticketed; speeding tickets are usually for infractions as well, though they go on a permanent record and can end up costing you money for years to come. The closely related word infringement generally refers to a violation of a right or privilege; use of another's writings without permission, for example, may be an infringement of the copyright.
Examples of infraction in a Sentence
Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 July 2025
Other lawyers point to infractions like driving under the influence of alcohol as a reason DACA and its protections can be revoked.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 29 July 2025
Now, over a year later, the Trump administration has deployed Title VI against sixty different higher education institutions, this time for infractions relating to the abolition of DEI initiatives countrywide, as well as for select cases of antisemitism.
—Liz Doe Stone, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
Officers who stop people for minor infractions now routinely run their names, and those of their passengers, through a federal database to search for immigration warrants filed against them.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for infraction
Cite this Entry
“Infraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infraction. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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infraction
noun
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