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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
Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 22 Jan. 2026
Monroe County records show Kolomiets having traffic infractions in the Keys going back to May 2001.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
Over the course of the novel, each Flynn girl is suspended from school at least once for some screwball infraction, including spreading conspiratorial theories about covert surveillance operations in town, punching another kid in the face, and preparing to commit an act of domestic terrorism.
—Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
Boise and Ada County have both created infraction offenses for speeding on the Greenbelt, though from August 2024 to June 2025, Ada County Deputies did not make any arrests or issue any citations.
—Idaho Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for infraction
Cite this Entry
“Infraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infraction. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
infraction
noun
