infringement

noun

in·​fringe·​ment in-ˈfrinj-mənt 

1

: the act of infringing : violation

2

: an encroachment or trespass on a right or privilege

Synonyms of infringement

• violation

Examples of infringement in a Sentence

any government action limiting freedom of speech is an infringement of the U.S. Constitution

Recent Examples on the Web

The joint trial, which opened Monday in San Salvador, is the latest in a practice that has been criticized by human rights groups as an infringement of the rights of the accused to defend themselves. —Marcos Aleman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026

Conway was just as skeptical of McMillan’s copyright infringement claim. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 21 Apr. 2026

The trial, which opened Monday in San Salvador, is the latest in a practice that has been criticized by human rights groups as an infringement on the right of the accused to defend themselves. —ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026

The main problem was copyright infringement by several parties. —Steve Bloom, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for infringement

• impingement

Legal Definition

infringement

noun

in·​fringe·​ment

: the act or an instance of infringing

especially : the unauthorized use of copyrighted or patented material or of a trademark, trade name, or trade dress see also equivalent, fair use

Note: Infringement of a trademark, trade name, or trade dress involves use of one by the infringer that is the same as that of the owner or so similar that it is likely to deceive or to cause confusion or mistake on the part of the average purchaser. Infringement of a copyright involves the copying of a material and substantial portion of the protected work. If the alleged infringer denies copying, the copyright holder may be able to prove infringement with circumstantial evidence of the infringer's access to the protected work and of similarities between the two works.