domestic violence

noun

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Definition of domestic violence

: the inflicting of physical injury by one family or household member on another; also : a repeated or habitual pattern of such behavior

Recent Examples of domestic violence from the Web

Wisconsin law states that someone arrested under suspicion of domestic violence cannot contact the victim for 72 hours.

— elliot hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Man led police on car chase after strangling wife in Franklin, complaint says," 11 July 2018
Troubling allegations of domestic violence were brought upon Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy on Tuesday, as his girlfriend's friend shared graphic images of the assault.

— nihal kolur, SI.com, "LeSean McCoy Accused of Domestic Violence, PED Use In Graphic Instagram Post," 10 July 2018
Studies show that women with their own economic resources—a piece of land, for example—are far less likely to be victims of domestic violence.

— The Economist, "Culture and the labour market keep India’s women at home," 5 July 2018
Seven cases of domestic violence have been found via the program.

— yoshiaki nohara, Bloomberg.com, "In One of the World’s Richest Countries, Most Single Mothers Live in Poverty," 24 June 2018
Victims of domestic violence, and patients with dementia and their caregivers also should be engaged in discussions about gun safety.

— WSJ, "Should Doctors Routinely Talk to Patients About Gun Use?," 24 June 2018
The first involved Bexar Deputy Ronald Bailey, who has worked for the Sheriff’s Office since 2001 despite multiple accusations of domestic violence.

— brian chasnoff, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio police officer’s domestic violence case sent to DA," 21 June 2018
Later in the season, Plum mentions that three women a day die of domestic violence.

— emma dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Marti Noxon on the Eerie Timeliness of Dietland: "Unless We Find Our Voice, Nothing's Going to Change"," 19 June 2018
Ferry, who has committed to Colorado, is involved outside of soccer, working on fundraising campaigns to benefit victims of domestic violence.

— richard obert, azcentral, "Xavier Prep's Kyla Ferry named Gatorade Arizona Girls Soccer POY," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'domestic violence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.