infringe
Americanverb (used with object)
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infringes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
infringed,
past participle, past
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infringing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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infringes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
infringed,
past participle, past
-
infringing
present participle
verb
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(tr) to violate or break (a law, an agreement, etc)
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(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
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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:
"We responded because at some stage you have to say 'Enough is enough'. No one can infringe on our economic sovereignty… the world took notice," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
He added, “These deprivations, while grievous, do not infringe upon any deeply rooted constitutional right.”
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
In a statement, Amazon said the retailer has a verification process for authorized sellers and removes listings that infringe trademarks and copyrights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
From what you’re saying, this won’t infringe upon your values and would make you a more efficient worker.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
“This little treasure is all mine, gentlemen and ladies. Please, I beg you. Do not infringe on my discovery ” “Mr. Remorso,” said Despereaux.
From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo
This infringes Tsuda's so-called publicity rights -- the ability to control and profit from the use of aspects of one's identity -- his attorneys said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Civil-rights lawyers and former DHS staffers see it differently and say the system infringes free speech.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
If the facilities are federally owned, Zoley replied, there are “more protections from unwarranted litigation that infringes upon the activities of the ICE processing centers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 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
It even threatens it with loss of authority and infringes the sphere of its responsibility.
From Liberalism by L. T. (Leonard Trelawny) Hobhouse
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said Monday that Google infringed the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation following a 2020 investigation into the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
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
The lower court had correctly concluded that the commission had "infringed" emergency rules brought in to allow governments to support the economy during times of crisis, it said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
But each such error reflected negatively on his parents’ guidance and infringed on the community’s sense of order and success.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
“The agency is prohibited by law from engaging in censorship or infringing on First Amendment rights of the press.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
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
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
MPA’s CEO, Charles Rivkin, wrote in a statement that the company “should immediately cease its infringing activity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
But I can’t say that gratitude was my motive for infringing on the Law of Cultural Embargo.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
