violates

Definition of violatesnext
present tense third-person singular of violate
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as in rapes
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent criminal statutes delineating acts that constitute violating another person

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 violates Critics argue that the mandate is unconstitutional and violates separation of church and state. Sara Cline, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026 The Republican National Committee, which brought the lawsuit, alleges the policy violates federal law establishing the Tuesday after the first Monday in November as the day for election of members of the House, Senate, and presidential electors, in specified years. Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026 Bonta and attorneys general of New York, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, North Carolina, Connecticut and Virginia argued in their lawsuit that the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which prohibits mergers that substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly. Noe Padilla, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026 The states — California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, New York, North Carolina, Connecticut and Virginia — argued in a lawsuit filed Wednesday night that the merger violates federal antitrust laws and warned of price hikes for consumers. Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026 Microsoft believes this violates the spirit and the letter of its own exclusivity agreement with OpenAI, which holds that all access to OpenAI’s AI models should only be through Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026 The suit alleges that the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which prohibits mergers that substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly. Todd Spangler, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026 The same goes for anyone whose family member violates a rule of the game. Jada Yuan, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026 And the companies argue that any kind of regulation is going to stop somebody from speaking and therefore violates the First Amendment. David Remnick, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violates
Verb
  • Antonelli breaks a record set by Lewis Hamilton in 2007, when the 22-year-old led the world championship in his rookie season.
    Sahil Kapur, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2026
  • The first choice For every assistant coach looking to lead their own program, their first job often makes or breaks their careers.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The extreme heat kills the plant tissue immediately and typically destroys the roots of many weed species.
    Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Intrigued, the Duke secretly seduces Gilda, breaks her heart and destroys Rigoletto’s life.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • And when her brother-in-law, Stanley (Marlon Brando), rapes her, her descent into madness was made all the more vivid and believable by Leigh's precise depiction of vulnerability and instability.
    Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
  • The girl vomited and went to lie down where Marino allegedly rapes her, the prosecutor added.
    Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Ukraine's skeleton racer and flag bearer Vladyslav Heraskevych was seen wearing his helmet honoring athletes from his country who were killed during the war with Russia in training this afternoon, despite the IOC saying earlier that the helmet contravenes the Olympic Charter guidelines.
    Sean Nevin, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Trump seems unconcerned that extorting his partners contravenes the principles of what was designed as a free-trade accord.
    Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Nothing beats cuteness except watching violence be enacted upon the cuteness; like an aural Happy Tree Friends, Skulls tosses pom-poms of fuzz into the sky then desecrates them.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 Dec. 2025
  • In the world of Monster, a person who takes lives and desecrates corpses might someday be capable of redemption.
    Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The White House told ProPublica that anyone who assaults federal immigration agents would be prosecuted.
    Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The Kid also physically assaults Apollonia at one point.
    Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Obviously the blandness of a tan wall offends them.
    Joan Morris, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
  • If that language offends you — come on.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Moral and intellectual descent is inherent in a political project that sets out to undermine liberal democracy, reject the inclusive egalitarianism of modern America, find enemies to demonize, and heroize a leader who defiles common decency.
    George Packer, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Violates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violates. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

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