violation

noun vi·o·la·tion \ ˌvī-ə-ˈlā-shən \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of violation

: the act of violating : the state of being violated: such as

a : infringement, transgression; specifically : an infringement of the rules in sports that is less serious than a foul and usually involves technicalities of play

b : an act of irreverence or desecration : profanation

c : disturbance, interruption

d : ¹rape 1, ravishment

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See violation defined for kids

Examples of violation in a Sentence

a serious violation of the law
A second violation was called on the basketball player.
He was arrested for violation of his parole.
The group monitors human rights violations.
They protested the government's violation of human rights.

Recent Examples of violation from the Web

July 2005 Negligent operation of a motor vehicle, refusal to identify himself to police, leaving the scene of an accident causing personal injury, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and a state highway traffic violation.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Latanowich faced litany of charges," 14 Apr. 2018
The case sparked concerns about possible treaty violations as Texas officials allegedly failed to notify Mexico of the arrest, or tell Cardenas about his rights to speak to the consulate.

— keri blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "Report: Use of executions worldwide decreased in 2017," 13 Apr. 2018
Andrew Wichman, 40, 2400 block of Frost Drive, Aurora, was charged with drunken driving and other traffic violations at 1:20 a.m. Monday near Ogden Avenue and Montgomery Road, Aurora police said.

— erika wurst, Aurora Beacon-News, "Police: Aurora man facing weapons charges," 13 Apr. 2018
The family had alleged use of excessive force, negligence and other violations in a federal lawsuit.

— cindy chang, latimes.com, "L.A. to pay $3.9 million to the parents of a man fatally shot by police at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center," 12 Apr. 2018
Among the roster of possible offenses the FBI was looking for, according to the Washington Post, were campaign-finance violations for the payoffs, bank fraud and wire fraud.

— brian bennett, Time, "Donald Trump Relied on Michael Cohen to Weather the Storm. Now The President Is On His Own," 12 Apr. 2018
While Trump has focused his ire on steel, aluminum and cracking down on intellectual property violations by China, the Chinese have taken aim at politically powerful industries like soybean farmers, pork and beef producers and citrus growers.

— dan merica, CNN, "Farm state Republicans push Trump on trade concerns," 12 Apr. 2018
Pelaez said existing city codes against noise restrictions and parking violations sufficiently cover any safety concerns raised by neighbors.

— joshua fechter, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio wrestles with regulating Airbnb, HomeAway rentals," 12 Apr. 2018
The department and city officials signed the consent decree in 2013, in the wake of a Department of Justice investigation into civil rights violations by officers after Hurricane Katrina.

— richard a. webster, NOLA.com, "NOPD has made major progress under consent decree, but more work ahead, monitors say," 11 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of violation

15th century

in the meaning defined above

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violation Synonyms

VIOLATION Defined for English Language Learners

violation

noun

Definition of violation for English Language Learners

: the act of doing something that is not allowed by a law or rule
: the act of ignoring or interfering with a person's rights
: the act of showing disrespect for something (such as a holy place) usually by damaging it