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
This is the justification for killing people, which, by the way, does not sound that different from the justifications governments offer for violating people’s human rights.
—
Jen Chaney, Vulture, 17 June 2026
The group sued to block the probe, alleging the agency was violating its First Amendment rights.
—ABC News, 17 June 2026
Two lawsuits filed Tuesday accuse the city of limiting public comment and violating a judge's temporary restraining order during a recent council meeting.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 17 June 2026
Fines are usually issued by the ATP to professional players or tournament organizers for violating its official Code of Conduct.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026
Smith served six months in prison after pleading guilty to a felony DUI in 2023, and was suspended multiple times between 2016 and 2019, including for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
—Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Jiankui spent three years in prison and was fined three million yuan (about $430,000 at the time) for violating medical regulations.
—Laura Dattaro, Scientific American, 10 June 2026
The determination concludes a six-month investigation by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division into Davis Med’s admissions practices, which found the school guilty of violating a landmark 2023 Supreme Court decision that banned affirmative action in university admissions.
—Sophia Mandt, The Washington Examiner, 10 June 2026
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has allegedly used the country's soccer system to spy on citizens, potentially violating FIFA bylaws, according to a new report from a major opposition party.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
Jen Chaney, Vulture, 17 June 2026
The group sued to block the probe, alleging the agency was violating its First Amendment rights.
—ABC News, 17 June 2026
Two lawsuits filed Tuesday accuse the city of limiting public comment and violating a judge's temporary restraining order during a recent council meeting.
—Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 17 June 2026
Fines are usually issued by the ATP to professional players or tournament organizers for violating its official Code of Conduct.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026
Smith served six months in prison after pleading guilty to a felony DUI in 2023, and was suspended multiple times between 2016 and 2019, including for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
—Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Jiankui spent three years in prison and was fined three million yuan (about $430,000 at the time) for violating medical regulations.
—Laura Dattaro, Scientific American, 10 June 2026
The determination concludes a six-month investigation by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division into Davis Med’s admissions practices, which found the school guilty of violating a landmark 2023 Supreme Court decision that banned affirmative action in university admissions.
—Sophia Mandt, The Washington Examiner, 10 June 2026
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has allegedly used the country's soccer system to spy on citizens, potentially violating FIFA bylaws, according to a new report from a major opposition party.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violating
Verb
-
The perk here is that the material holds up to cold weather by stretching and expanding without breaking, requiring fewer repairs and resource use.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
State Medicaid programs might try to reroute some of those dollars — adding to their overall administrative nightmare created by all these late-breaking rule changes.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
For decades, factories discharged pollution into waterways and wetlands, destroying natural habitats and forcing residents to live in the shadow of smokestacks and refineries.—
Gretchen Kalwinski,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
-
In my view, Iran is hellbent on destroying Israel and America.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Federal immigration officials are urging New York authorities not to release a 59-year-old Salvadoran national accused of raping a 16-year-old girl on Long Island, warning that he should be turned over to ICE if released from local custody.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
In a series of interviews with detectives, Jackman ultimately admitted to raping 32 women in Kansas City.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile on the other end of the Cape, a 12- to 15-foot white shark was spotted breaching out of the water off the Provincetown tip.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
15 June 2026
-
Burnley had been seeking damages after Everton were found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) during the 2021-22 season — a campaign in which Burnley were relegated from the top flight.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The case intensifies international scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of religious minorities, following recent incidents of soldiers desecrating Christian religious symbols in Lebanon.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
This week’s discovery of the antisemitic graffiti follows the arrest of two teenage vandals for desecrating a Brooklyn playground in a Jewish neighborhood with more than 50 swastikas in January.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Previously, Jackman had been convicted of a series of rapes in California, assaulting 20 people in Orange County in 1975 and 1976.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
-
Police accused the singer of assaulting the officers who were trying to take him into custody.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The tickets, purchased by a staff member of the non-profit, had not yet been released, and the letter added that contravening FIFA’s trademark and policies may result in them not being released at all to the buyer.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
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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
Verb
-
Historically, barrels of Madeira spent months crossing tropical oceans aboard ships, and merchants realized that the heat actually improved the wine rather than ruining it.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The antics each week involved lovable Gilligan ruining a plan to get the gang rescued, but also ogling the bombshell Ginger (Tina Louise) and getting annoyed by Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus).—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Violating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violating. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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