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
Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
The group sued to block the probe, alleging the agency was violating its First Amendment rights.
—Devi Shastri, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
Two months later, the private facility reported a major security breach and announced the launch of an investigation, all after an employee allegedly attempted to violate patient confidentiality to access the Princess of Wales’s medical records.
—Valentine Ulgu-Servant, Vanity Fair, 20 June 2026
On Thursday afternoon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon argued that MLB may have violated workplace protections against religious discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by warning Brubaker, Walker and Landen Roupp not to write on their hats.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for violate
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
Accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire in Lebanon, Iran balked at attending talks planned Friday, the first since the Iranian and US presidents signed the 14-clause memorandum of understanding (MoU) earlier in the week.
—Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
The group sued to block the probe, alleging the agency was violating its First Amendment rights.
—Devi Shastri, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
Two months later, the private facility reported a major security breach and announced the launch of an investigation, all after an employee allegedly attempted to violate patient confidentiality to access the Princess of Wales’s medical records.
—Valentine Ulgu-Servant, Vanity Fair, 20 June 2026
On Thursday afternoon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon argued that MLB may have violated workplace protections against religious discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by warning Brubaker, Walker and Landen Roupp not to write on their hats.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for violate
Cite this Entry
“Violate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violate. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
