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
Synonyms
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
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
The European Union has opened an investigation into government subsidies utilized by China’s EV industry and whether such support violates international trade laws.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
The professors argued that the DEI layoffs were discriminatory and violated the employees’ right to freedom of expression.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Bragg's office alleges the falsification was done to conceal violating federal campaign finance laws and hide a plan to break New York tax and election laws, making the charges felonies rather than misdemeanors.
—Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The initial complaint from Boren and his wife, Lynn Arnone, who is also party to the lawsuit, alleged the Forest Service failed to conduct necessary reviews of the trail’s environmental impacts and violated the Environmental Protection Act, as well as the Sawtooth National Recreation Area’s rules.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024
Among them: Why has Trump not been penalized for violating the gag order?
—Derek Hawkins, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
School officials said the groups violated university policies.
—Jessica Moore, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
OpenAI and Google reportedly used YouTube videos to help train their AI models, potentially violating the creators’ copyrights of those videos.
—Emily Price, PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
Verb
Republicans said Mayorkas repeatedly violated laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security by allowing millions of immigrants to enter the U.S. every year.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
The European Union has opened an investigation into government subsidies utilized by China’s EV industry and whether such support violates international trade laws.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
The professors argued that the DEI layoffs were discriminatory and violated the employees’ right to freedom of expression.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Bragg's office alleges the falsification was done to conceal violating federal campaign finance laws and hide a plan to break New York tax and election laws, making the charges felonies rather than misdemeanors.
—Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The initial complaint from Boren and his wife, Lynn Arnone, who is also party to the lawsuit, alleged the Forest Service failed to conduct necessary reviews of the trail’s environmental impacts and violated the Environmental Protection Act, as well as the Sawtooth National Recreation Area’s rules.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024
Among them: Why has Trump not been penalized for violating the gag order?
—Derek Hawkins, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
School officials said the groups violated university policies.
—Jessica Moore, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024
OpenAI and Google reportedly used YouTube videos to help train their AI models, potentially violating the creators’ copyrights of those videos.
—Emily Price, PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'violate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near violate
Cite this Entry
“Violate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violate. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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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