infraction
Americannoun
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infractions
plural
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breach; violation; infringement.
an infraction of the rules.
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Medicine/Medical. an incomplete fracture of a bone.
Synonym Usage
See breach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of infraction
First recorded in 1615–25, infraction is from the Latin word infrāctiōn- (stem of infrāctiō ). See infract, -ion
Explanation
When you break school rules about gum chewing, you commit an infraction. An infraction is a petty crime or a minor breaking of rules. When you think of the word infraction, think that your offence has just crossed the line into wrong. Something like a parking ticket is an infraction. When you commit an infraction, you're not knee deep in wrong, you've just dipped your toe into wrong to see what it feels like. A misdemeanor is a more serious crime such as theft, and murder is considered a felony, the most serious of crimes.
Vocabulary lists containing infraction
The Giver
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Give Me a Break!: Fract and Frag
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Tangerine
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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:
If there was a minor traffic infraction or other probable cause to make a stop, proving their motive requires them to confess to acting with intent to discriminate, Willis said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
In other words, faculty can be fired for whatever infraction the school’s governing board decides is a fireable one.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
Yet images circulated online that seemed to show that granite being grazed by Canadian fingertips, and on Saturday the Swiss men’s team accused Canada of the same infraction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026
But a car either complies or it does not, no matter how infinitesimal the infraction.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2025
Al Ulbrickson had a long-established policy that a single training infraction would drop a man two shells; a second infraction would lead to his expulsion from the squad.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Those caught breaking the law face fixed penalty notices of £200 for a minor breach and criminal prosecution for more serious infractions.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The new policy means instructors will be present during exams and will document any infractions they observe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
And EPA data shows that its pattern of reported infractions has continued in recent years.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
The infractions occurred on Interstate 71 in Medina County, where the speed limit is 70 mph, and he paid fines of $267 and $287.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
Before heading that way, we visited 7-Building, the “honor block,” with space for eighty-six inmates who had gone several years without being cited for disciplinary infractions.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
