infringe
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to violate or break (a law, an agreement, etc)
-
(intr; foll by on or upon) to encroach or trespass
Synonym Usage
See trespass.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
infringesimple
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infringessimple
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have infringedperfect
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has infringedperfect
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am infringingprogressive
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are infringingprogressive
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is infringingprogressive
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have been infringingperfect progressive
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has been infringingperfect progressive
Past
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infringedsimple
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had infringedperfect
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was infringingprogressive
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were infringingprogressive
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had been infringingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of infringe
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin infringere “to break, weaken,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + -fringere, combining form of frangere “to break”; akin to break
Explanation
When you infringe on someone's space, time, or rights, you're getting involved in a way that is not cool. That's why, when you violate a copyright, you're said to infringe upon it. Infringe is almost always used with the prepositions "on" or "upon," as in, "if you infringe on my rights, I'll sue you." Nobody knows why that's the case. Our language is full of rules and traditions that just are the way they are. We call these phrases "idiomatic." To infringe "on" or "upon" something is one of those. You don't infringe "into" someone's conversation. You infringe "upon" it. Case closed.
Vocabulary lists containing infringe
The Bill of Rights
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List 6
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Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The EU on Monday ruled that a French draft law to ban social media for under-15s would infringe the bloc's rules if approved in its current form.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
This defense has borne fruit in other Strike 3 cases, in which defendants successfully argued simply having an IP address that was used to infringe wasn’t enough to prove they committed the infringements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Arguably worse, he tries to stop RIH from “aiding,” “abetting,” or “encouraging” anyone else from asking these courts for help, reaching far beyond the hospital to infringe upon the rights of nonparties.
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
Danish company Novo Nordisk asked US courts on Monday to ban Hims & Hers' range of weight-loss pills and injections, which it says are not approved by US authorities and infringe on its patent.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
Back when he was thinking about getting married, he worried that taking walks with his wife would infringe on his work time.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
"This will prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition in this growing market by Meta's conduct, which at first sight infringes EU competition rules," the commission said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
“We stand against any move that violates the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and infringes upon other countries’ sovereignty and security,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
However, in Skrmetti, the court denied a petition by minors and their parents that argued the ban also infringes on parental rights protected under the due process clause.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2025
Student activists have long campaigned for hairstyle rules to be relaxed, saying it infringes on their human dignity and personal freedom over their bodies.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2025
Hence when the press infringes too violently the boundaries indicated, and persists in so doing, the sterner penalty demanded by the dangers of the hour is enforced by the sterner method likewise rendered necessary.
From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 4, October, 1863 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various
Some felt it infringed on their sense of nostalgia.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sony is seeking up to $150,000 per work infringed or the actual amount of damages or Udio’s profits made from the infringement, as well as other damages and costs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
"Have they infringed the trademark in their crest? Or design rights in their shirt? For that kind of image, that's what a club or an individual would likely be looking at."
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
In the majority’s view, the Maryland school board hasn’t infringed anyone’s rights by setting a rule for staff conduct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
“There can be no lighter topics when human rights are being infringed upon.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
They were controversial events because some were staged in Europe, infringing on territory that had previously been the traditional domain of the DP World Tour.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The new lawsuit increases the number of copyrighted recordings Sony is accusing Udio of infringing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
According to the 30-year-old singer's legal team, Samsung apparently ignored "repeated demands" to "cease and desist from infringing on her rights".
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
Charles Rivkin, the chairman and chief executive of the Motion Picture Association, called on ByteDance to "immediately cease its infringing activity," accusing it of disregarding copyright law that protects creators and underpins millions of jobs.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
Most people in our community are decent, hardworking citizens who pursue their own interests legally and without infringing on the rights of others.
From "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
