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
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Recent Examples of infringeMitchell viewed that as the council attempting to silence him and infringe upon his right to freedom of speech.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2026 And a supermarket should not be allowed to infringe on a football ground.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
21 May 2026 Companies will test the boundaries Boyden speculated that offering different prices based on how much a customer uses a service, or advertising in particular ways to entice customers who are more likely to infringe, might constitute tailoring a service for piracy.—ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026 The current state of the case entails Russ demanding a court declaration that his use of Denaro Puro doesn’t infringe Nike, that Nike’s trade dress claims are invalid, and that Nike’s rights in Pure Money are unenforceable with respect to Denaro Puro.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for infringe
Judge Sullivan concluded in his June 25 decision to order Blanche to release more information or explain himself that Blanche had likely violated the transparency law.
—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Guests were reportedly required to sign nondisclosure agreements before receiving any event details (although the NDAs were said not to have included any penalties for violating the terms).
Gonzalez was a little worried about impinging on Sinclaire, also a single mother, but took the offer — her only other option was to move in with her mother in New Jersey.
—
Kayla Levy,
Curbed,
25 June 2026
Funding that is distributed to governments or organizations working in repressive countries carries the grave risk of empowering security actors that not only impinge on the rights of refugees but also those of citizens.
At a minimum, fiduciaries should review access controls, encryption, data retention policies, incident response procedures, subcontractor access, cyber insurance, breach notification obligations and independent security testing.
—
Ronald Stair,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
The pension plan is suing on four counts including failure to comply with audit obligations, breach of contribution obligations to the pension plan as well as its trustees and breach contribution obligations for the 2017-22 audit period.
So the familiarity of my story with John sometimes intruded into what was supposed to be this fairy tale.
—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
28 June 2026
But getting out of military service remains controversial in South Korea, and last week, a minor scandal intruded on the usual rhythms of the World Cup.