How does the verb infringe differ from other similar words?
Some common synonyms of infringe are encroach, invade, and trespass. While all these words mean "to make inroads upon the property, territory, or rights of another," infringe implies an encroachment clearly violating a right or prerogative.
infringing a copyright
When is it sensible to use encroach instead of infringe?
In some situations, the words encroach and infringe are roughly equivalent. However, encroach suggests gradual or stealthy entrance upon another's territory or usurpation of another's rights or possessions.
the encroaching settlers displacing the native peoples
When can invade be used instead of infringe?
While in some cases nearly identical to infringe, invade implies a hostile and injurious entry into the territory or sphere of another.
accused of invading their privacy
When might trespass be a better fit than infringe?
The synonyms trespass and infringe are sometimes interchangeable, but trespass implies an unwarranted or unlawful intrusion.
hunters trespassing on farmland
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of infringeThe songs were deemed different enough in their melody, harmony, rhythm and lyrics to not infringe on copyright.—Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025 Entries must be original, may not be AI-generated in whole or in part, must not constitute a defamation, and must not infringe or violate any right of any third party or entity, including but not limited to copyright, right of publicity, and right of privacy.—Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2025 Now, without benefits, working SNAP recipients like Richardson are left with few options, which health and labor experts warn could push these recipients into poverty and infringe on childhood development.—Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2025 And in one of the more surprising findings, Stein also concluded that ChatGPT’s answers can possibly be found to infringe upon the books they’re trained on.—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for infringe
The probe will examine whether Department of Homeland Security officers violated the law in shooting the 37-year-old ICU nurse.
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Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
2 Feb. 2026
In 2024, the court said fining or jailing someone for sleeping outside when there are no available shelter beds doesn’t violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The flames impinged on a nearby building, but the building did not catch fire, the fire department said.
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Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
16 Dec. 2025
By not impinging on the private Godard, not offering an intimate and comprehensive image of him, Linklater does something equally important: the movie’s sense of respectful distance is crucial both to Linklater’s concept and to his movie’s aptly enthusiastic reception.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement that officers arrested two people and used pepper balls after protesters did not heed orders to disperse, adding that demonstrators also breached a protest area and spit on officers.
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Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
According to breach notification service Have I Been Pwned, the dataset contains email addresses linked to approximately 72 million people, prompting the organization to notify affected users directly.
The design provides a crucial advantage to a fleeing groundhog, which is otherwise relatively slow moving compared to invading animals like foxes, who may see them as little more than a yummy dinner, the National Wildlife Federation said.
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Kate Perez,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Sunday’s cold snap provided an opportunity to capture and transport iguanas which have invaded South Florida communities, eating landscaping and pooping in swimming pools.
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Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
The group also talks about how the event unfolded even as the real world intruded on the festival bubble, in the form of both news about Minnesota and a violent incident at Sundance itself.
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Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
29 Jan. 2026
Seoul and Pyongyang have been on edge over North Korea's accusation that South Korea intruded its airspace with drones in January and last September.
But the perception of the two drugs as distinct—one mild, one serious—was entrenched in medical practice, in pharmaceutical regulations, in prescription guidelines, and in law.
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Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Regulators and legislators see this as the right time to push back before ads become fully entrenched in AI systems.