transgress

verb trans·gress \ tran(t)s-ˈgres , tranz- \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of transgress

intransitive verb

1 : to violate a command or law : sin

2 : to go beyond a boundary or limit

transitive verb

1 : to go beyond limits set or prescribed by : violate

transgress divine law

2 : to pass beyond or go over (a limit or boundary)

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transgressive

play \-ˈgre-siv\ adjective

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transgressor

play \-ˈgre-sər\ noun

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Examples of transgress in a Sentence

He who transgresses must seek forgiveness.
There are legal consequences for companies that transgress the rules.

Recent Examples of transgress from the Web

Nonetheless, the 90-year-old jurist asserted, his business-friendly colleagues were now transgressing cardinal principles of the judicial process, overturning a recent precedent and insisting the identity of the speaker was irrelevant.

— glenn c. altschuler, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘We the Corporations,’ by Adam Winkler," 28 Mar. 2018
Anatomy is not destiny in this 75-minute chamber production, which transgresses musical boundaries and challenges old expectations of the genre.

— donna freedman, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage Opera’s ‘As One’ explores inner world of a transgender woman," 9 Feb. 2018
The bad news is that isn’t stopping him from transgressing them.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Trump Demands the Prosecution of His Defeated Rival," 3 Nov. 2017
Marris weaves together uneasy questions about the scientist and his subject: What does preservation mean when, in order to survive, wildlife can’t transgress human definitions of acceptable behavior?

— ben huberman, Longreads, "An Oregon Wolf, Profiled," 4 Nov. 2017
Social boundaries and the importance of transgressing them have long fascinated Roy.

— laura miller, Slate Magazine, "To Overflow Every Division Between Human Beings," 19 June 2017
Today, her economic and cultural and military power greater than any in the world, do the leaders and elites of the United States possess the will to deter her enemies from transgressing boundaries and violating national sovereignty?

— matthew continetti, National Review, "What We Can Learn from World War II," 21 Oct. 2017
Meanwhile, the ruling Communist Party is again telling members that atheism remains a core value, not to be transgressed.

— Washington Post, "Efforts to mend China-Vatican rift seem stalled over bishops," 31 Aug. 2017
The spectacle of strong men transgressing norms in service of their own moral codes will be less and less appealing, and television and movies will pull back from pro-machismo stories with fascist undertones.

— slate staff, Slate Magazine, "How Trump Will Change America," 24 Jan. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of transgress

Middle English, from Middle French transgresser, from Latin transgressus, past participle of transgredi to step beyond or across, from trans- + gradi to step — more at grade

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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