vi·o·late
ˈvī-ə-ˌlāt 
violated; violating
2
: to do harm to the person or especially the chastity of
specifically
: rape sense 1
3
: to fail to show proper respect for : profane
violate a shrine
Examples of violate in a Sentence
Verb
He was arrested for violating his parole.
The company violated its customers' privacy.
She was attacked and violated by an unknown intruder.
Recent Examples on the Web
Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 8 Dec. 2025
The university found the lecturer violated a new state law requiring intellectual diversity and prohibiting political views unrelated to the field.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 8 Dec. 2025
Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that RTD is lying about its inability to pay for Access on Demand and are asking a judge to declare that the changes to Access on Demand violate the ADA, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, thus rendering the changes unlawful.
—Austen Erblat, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
Early reports suggest the venue lacked the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) and violated fire regulations, the Director of Fire and Emergency Services Nitin Raiker told News18 on Sunday.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for violate
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Verb
Making the live feed widely available for free or offering it outside of that distribution system would violate agreements and threaten its funding model.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 8 Dec. 2025
The university found the lecturer violated a new state law requiring intellectual diversity and prohibiting political views unrelated to the field.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 8 Dec. 2025
Attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that RTD is lying about its inability to pay for Access on Demand and are asking a judge to declare that the changes to Access on Demand violate the ADA, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, thus rendering the changes unlawful.
—Austen Erblat, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
Early reports suggest the venue lacked the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) and violated fire regulations, the Director of Fire and Emergency Services Nitin Raiker told News18 on Sunday.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for violate
Cite this Entry
“Violate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violate. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
violate
transitive verb
vi·o·late
ˈvī-ə-ˌlāt
violated; violating
: to go against (as a prohibition or principle) : fail to observe or respect
violate a law
civil rights were violated
violate due process
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