1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

infringe

verb

Definition of infringenext
1
as in to violate

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in to impinge

Related Words

Synonym Chooser

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

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.
Recent Examples of infringe Roberts wrote that limits on the president's ability to fire those who wield executive power on his behalf infringe on his constitutional authority. — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 29 June 2026 Fleming said such projects infringe on private property rights and federal government subsidies for the technology are wasteful. — ABC News, 27 June 2026 Several community members have expressed concerns the plan would infringe on their autonomy as parents to oversee their children’s religious education. — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 26 June 2026 Entry must be the original work of the entrant, may not have been previously published, may not have won previous awards, and must not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for infringe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infringe
  1. violate
  2. impinge
  3. breach
  4. invade
  5. intrude
  6. entrench
Verb
  • Hundreds of those grants were later reinstated when a federal judge ruled that the slap-dash nature of the terminations violated the Administrative Procedures Act, which regulates how agencies are supposed to change policies.
    — Anil Oza, STAT, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Officials frequently approved reimbursement after travel had already happened, and failed to require consultants to provide documentation like receipts, violating contract rules around wasteful spending.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of violate
Verb
  • The state of the economy is not yet impinging on Iran’s ability to wage war.
    — Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
  • In Paris, people take trains, run into each other, walk along parks, ride buses, enter or leave buildings, sit in cafés, buy things, and lead thoroughly uneventful lives, but nothing external impinges on them.
    — André Aciman, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Definition of impinge
Verb
  • Stocks were trading near their lowest levels of the session as the 10-year Treasury yield topped 5% — a key psychological level and one that has not been breached since October 2023.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • This may be a reference to July's Hugging Face attack, where 700 OpenAI agents breached the security of the open-source AI platform, making 17,000 separate actions, according to the forensic logs.
    — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of breach
Verb
  • Russia was also holding the vote in the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claimed after the war began but still does not fully control, and in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia invaded in 2014.
    — Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • It's meant to starve Russian President Vladimir Putin of the resources Moscow needs to continue its war in Ukraine after invading its neighbor more than four years ago.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of invade
Verb
  • Other heavy-handed touches intrude on the film’s sophistication, such as the female protagonist of Jeremy’s novel being like a character trapped in her own existence, unsubtly indicating what Sofia is feeling.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Thinking another male had intruded on his territory, the bird quickly descended.
    — Stephanie Szarmach, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of intrude
Verb
  • The vote margin not only will reveal the extent of the intellectual divide on the committee between those who think inflation is temporary and those who believe price pressures are becoming entrenched.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Villagers describe losing orchards, tobacco fields and beehives along with their houses, accusing Lebanon’s government of abandoning them as Israel entrenches its military presence in southern Lebanon.
    — Fadi Tawil, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of entrench

Browse Nearby Words

infrequently
infringe
infringed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Infringe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infringe. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All