violate
verb (used with object)
to act against (a law, principle, promise, agreement, instruction, etc.); break, transgress, or fail to honor.
had violated
-
past perfectof violate.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
The company in March as part of a settlement admitted it had violated federal labor law when it hassled employees and agreed to pay $50,000 to the fired worker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Prabhakar alleges she received no formal complaint, hearing or explanation of which college policy she had violated.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
The letters urged both companies to take action against any offending sellers but didn’t address whether the platforms themselves had violated relevant laws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
"There is no reason to think that Poland was the target," he said, but added that two "objects" had violated Poland’s airspace.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Somehow, I convinced myself, I had violated the code and thus would have to submit to punishment.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
