violate

1 of 2

verb

vi·​o·​late ˈvī-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce violate (audio)
violated; violating

transitive verb

1
: break, disregard
violate the law
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
4
: interrupt, disturb
violate the peace of a spring eveningNancy Larter
violative adjective
violator noun

violate

2 of 2

adjective

vi·​o·​late ˈvī-ə-lət How to pronounce violate (audio)
archaic
: subjected to violation

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
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.
Verb
James Nagle, a former Army contracting official and practicing attorney who specializes in the federal contracting process, went even further, saying that the White House Offer potentially violated existing law. Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 15 Nov. 2024 The lawsuit claims that Chipotle’s failure to disclose these issues and their financial implications misled shareholders, potentially violating securities laws. Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024 The organising committee investigated and found that Jiang had violated competition rules in the preliminary round because she was helped by her teacher, Wang Runqiu, who was a contestant himself. Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Nov. 2024 The board ultimately ruled that Schenke had violated Indiana election laws about disclaimers on political ads, and referred the matter to the Indiana Election Division for discipline or sanctions. Noe Padilla, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for violate 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Latin violatus, past participle of violare, from viol- (as in violentus violent)

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near violate

Cite this Entry

“Violate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violate. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

violate

verb
vi·​o·​late
ˈvī-ə-ˌlāt
violated; violating
1
: to fail to keep or observe : break
violate the law
2
: to do harm or damage to
3
: to treat with great disrespect
violate a house of worship
4
: disturb sense 1a
don't violate their privacy
violator
-ˌlāt-ər
noun

Legal Definition

violate

transitive verb
vi·​o·​late ˈvī-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce violate (audio)
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
violation noun
violative adjective
violator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on violate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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