violation

noun

vi·​o·​la·​tion ˌvī-ə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce violation (audio)
Synonyms of violationnext
: 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

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. trying to prevent violation of human rights
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Attorneys for the families announced the filing Tuesday, which alleges state and local agencies failed to enforce safety laws and ignored known violations at the Esparto compound where the blast occurred. Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 24 Dec. 2025 Reports of cease-fire violations are difficult to verify, but the Government Media Office in Gaza, which Hamas controls, claims that Israel has violated the cease-fire agreement at least 282 times; the IDF, for its part, claims that Hamas has violated the agreement 24 times. Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025 On Monday, another judge handling Inman’s probation violation doubled down on that. Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 23 Dec. 2025 To overcome the obvious math problem of 2016 occurring before 2020, the players argued what is known as the continuing violation doctrine. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for violation

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of violation was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Violation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violation. Accessed 25 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

violation

noun
vi·​o·​la·​tion ˌvī-ə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce violation (audio)
: an act or an instance of violating : the state of being violated

More from Merriam-Webster on violation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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