infringe

American  

[in-frinj] / ɪnˈfrɪndʒ /

verb (used with object)

infringed, infringing

1. to commit a breach or infraction of; violate or transgress.

   to infringe a copyright; to infringe a rule.

   Synonyms:

   break, disobey

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verb (used without object)

infringed, infringing

1. to encroach or trespass (usually followed by on orupon ).

   Don't infringe on his privacy.

   Synonyms:

   poach

infringe British  

/ ɪnˈfrɪndʒ /

verb

1. (tr) to violate or break (a law, an agreement, etc)

2. (intr; foll by on or upon) to encroach or trespass

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Related Words

See trespass.

Other Word Forms

• infringement noun
• infringer noun

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

Example Sentences

If it infringed free speech for the SEC rule to require potential corporate acquirers to disclose their 5% stake in a stock, then most financial disclosure requirements would fail muster, the judge said.

From Barron's

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution stipulates that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

From Barron's

Solos’s complaint, filed Friday, alleges the defendants infringed on Solos’s patents involving smartglasses, including functions such as multimodal sensing, audio processing, intelligent assistance and integrated-system architectures for real-time user interaction.

From The Wall Street Journal

In January, the companies behind YesChat agreed to pay $1 million to Robbins and to disable and destroy the infringing AI.

From The Wall Street Journal

Meta said that as with any recording device, people using smart glasses should not engage in "harmful activities like harassment, infringing privacy rights, or capturing sensitive information."

From BBC

Related Words

• breach
• contravene
• disobey
• encroach
• impose
• intrude
• meddle
• offend
• trespass