infraction
Americannoun
-
breach; violation; infringement.
an infraction of the rules.
-
Medicine/Medical. an incomplete fracture of a bone.
Related Words
See breach.
Other Word Forms
- noninfraction noun
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.
And without an umpire watching closely — or without video evidence — that kind of infraction can be difficult to spot.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 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
The “connection with the outside world was far greater than the consequences of me getting caught with the phone,” he said, referring to another infraction brought up by the parole board.
From Salon • Aug. 22, 2025
I was proud of my discovery and asked a senior officer on the gallery how to dispose of it and what infraction number to place on the Misbehavior Report.
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.
