Did you know?
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
Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 28 Nov. 2025
Kaufmann argued that a more credible deterrence policy would see the United States match threats across a spectrum of infractions, from local conventional attacks to thermonuclear assault.
—Big Think, 27 Nov. 2025
Prosecutors argued that Frederic committed two infractions by making the unsafe turn and leaving his truck in the middle of the roadway.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025
Trailing by three points with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were penalized for an offensive pass interference infraction on tight end Travis Kelce.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 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 1 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
infraction
noun
Share