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

• violation
• offence

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

In 11 months, reigning Formula One world champion Max Verstappen accrued as many penalty points across six different infringements. —Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 14 June 2025

Honeywell filed a lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina against the patent company, Patent Armory Inc. Earlier, Patent Armory had sued Honeywell in April for patent infringement in the Eastern District of Texas. —Sydney Sasser, Charlotte Observer, 13 June 2025

It was finally settled in 2016 when the U.S. Supreme Court let stand lower court rulings that rejected copyright infringement claims. —Matt O'Brien, Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2025

For instance, author George R.R. Martin and the New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement last year. —Deepa Nagraj, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025

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.