Definition of INFRACTION

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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

speeding is only a minor infraction, but vehicular homicide is a serious felony

Recent Examples on the Web

In Hollywood, the city manager would be responsible for investigating any infraction, and the City Commission would review the city manager’s findings. — Meryl Kornfield, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Mayors push to strengthen lobbying laws in Broward," 9 July 2018 Sportsman shook her head at the infraction, and the driver noticed. — Blane Bachelor, Outside Online, "Road Biking While Female," 23 May 2018 That call between McNair and would-be sports agent Lloyd Lake consumed the second day of testimony in Los Angeles County Superior Court, raised questions about the NCAA's infractions process and could shape the rest of the trial. — Nathan Fenno, latimes.com, "Former NCAA investigator says infractions report against Todd McNair had 'factually incorrect' information," 26 Apr. 2018 Pretextual traffic stops, in which police pull someone over on the pretense of a minor infraction in order to investigate more serious wrongdoing, have long been criticized as a kind of legal racial profiling. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "Driving Without a Smartphone," 10 July 2018 Investigators determined merely accepting the tickets, though a violation of policy against accepting gifts, would not by itself rise to the level of an infraction justifying a suspension. — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, "Records: State Police captain's friendship with towing boss under investigation," 19 June 2018 Johnston said in many cases, the data doesn’t show how many days a student missed school as the result of an infraction. — Suzanne Baker, Naperville Sun, "There's a growing trend of Naperville-area students being caught vaping, sometimes with THC," 13 June 2018 The Everblades took full advantage of the infraction by scoring twice. — Steve T. Gorches, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Solar Bears eliminated from ECHL playoffs by 5-2 home loss to Florida in Game 5," 6 May 2018 After experiencing the ramifications of that play, the Vikings hoped to see some type of infraction against Thomas on Sunday. — Michael Democker, NOLA.com, "Saints Marshon Lattimore on the Vikings' game-winning touchdown: video," 15 Jan. 2018

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