1
as in breaking
to fail to keep
you've violated the company's rule against smoking within 30 feet of the building
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroying
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect
the invaders violated the temple by using it to stable their horses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in raping
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
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Recent Examples of violating
Ramsey Orta, who famously recorded the police chokehold killing of Eric Garner in 2014, is back in legal hot water, accused of violating his supervised release in a gun case by assaulting two men in a Brooklyn smoke shop last July.
—
John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Rice was suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has launched an investigation into Roblox, a popular online gaming and chat platform used by millions of children and teens, to determine whether the company is violating state consumer protection laws and putting young users at risk.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
The Tinley Park Village Board voted Tuesday to take legal action against residents who officials allege are violating several codes, living in an unsafe condition and not responding to village communication.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The man had been in custody for six days and had been arrested on suspicion of grand theft and for violating a court order, according to investigators.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
And that led to an important trial a couple of years ago saying that the state was violating its state constitution by ignoring climate change.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Earlier this month, Fox News reported that the FCC was investigating ABC’s daytime talk show The View, which has become an important stop for politicians seeking to reach the show’s heavily female audience, for violating the equal-time rule.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
After Conley admitted to violating parole in federal court on Monday, Hall revoked his supervised release and sentenced him to 21 months in or with no supervised release to follow.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Rice was suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has launched an investigation into Roblox, a popular online gaming and chat platform used by millions of children and teens, to determine whether the company is violating state consumer protection laws and putting young users at risk.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
The Tinley Park Village Board voted Tuesday to take legal action against residents who officials allege are violating several codes, living in an unsafe condition and not responding to village communication.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The man had been in custody for six days and had been arrested on suspicion of grand theft and for violating a court order, according to investigators.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
And that led to an important trial a couple of years ago saying that the state was violating its state constitution by ignoring climate change.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Earlier this month, Fox News reported that the FCC was investigating ABC’s daytime talk show The View, which has become an important stop for politicians seeking to reach the show’s heavily female audience, for violating the equal-time rule.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
After Conley admitted to violating parole in federal court on Monday, Hall revoked his supervised release and sentenced him to 21 months in or with no supervised release to follow.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violating
Verb
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Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
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After rising higher earlier this year and briefly breaking the $100-per-ounce barrier, silver prices slid sharply before dipping and rising — and then dipping again.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The firestorm ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena, killing 31, destroying more than 16,000 structures and contaminating others with toxins and heavy metals.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Special prosecutors indict Kim Keon Hee and former Prime Minister Han on charges of abetting Yoon’s imposition of martial law, falsifying and destroying official documents and lying under oath.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Now Americans are demanding that those who joined Epstein in raping children and abusing women must face justice.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
17 Feb. 2026
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The four African-American men were falsely accused in 1949 of raping a white woman in Lake County in what became one of the most-notorious cases from the state’s Jim Crow era.—
News Service Of Florida,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The experiences and insights April’s gained through all this pour out of her like a joyous river breaching a beaver dam.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
11 Feb. 2026
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The design calls for stripping the iron bars off windows and breaching the castle walls for generous corner entrances.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cops arrested a pair of teen vandals Thursday and charged them with desecrating a Brooklyn playground in a Jewish neighborhood with more than 50 swastikas during a two-day attack, police and city officials said.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
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Gonzales-Rosales was charged with killing and desecrating a woman, his neighbor, on Easter in 2023.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Similarly, federal prosecutors have lost all five cases accusing protesters of assaulting federal officers that have gone to trial in the Los Angeles area, according to data from the US attorney’s office there as of earlier this month.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Jacobo was previously arrested in June 2024 for allegedly assaulting a female family member and again in November 2025 for assaulting Sanchez, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Dallas Morning News.—
Suryatapa Chakraborty,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the years intervening, the poem has remained a lodestar, a contravening presence when, in present day America’s vituperative political landscape, the humanities disciplines and higher education itself has been forced to invoke and defend its own authority.—
Elaine L. Wang
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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The problem comes when ideological casting choices begin to undermine the narrative, contravening Grisham’s famously effective structure and pacing.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His removal would trigger yet another transition, forcing the legislature to appoint a new leader and marking a volatile new chapter in Peruvian politics just two months before national elections.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
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There’s a delectable tension between its chintziness and its opulence, forcing the mind to color in the spaces of its grand visages.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Violating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violating. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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