infringe
Americanverb (used with object)
-
infringes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
infringed,
past participle, past
-
infringing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
infringes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
infringed,
past participle, past
-
infringing
present participle
verb
-
(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
-
infringesimple
-
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
-
infringedsimple
-
had infringedperfect
-
was infringingprogressive
-
were infringingprogressive
-
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
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
Amarin then sued Hikma, claiming it had induced doctors to infringe on its patent for the second indication.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 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
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
"This will prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition in this growing market by Meta's conduct, which at first sight infringes EU competition rules," the commission said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 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
In academia, fear of surveillance - and how life might change for someone who infringes the laws - means self-censorship and censorship have become the "order of the day", says Kenneth Chan.
From BBC ● May 8, 2025
If in his judgment a law infringes on the fundamental rights, he must forbid its enforcement.
From The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens by Max Farrand
In November 2025 a judge ordered Apple to pay $634m, external to medical tech firm Masimo after a jury found it had infringed a patent for blood-oxygen reading tech.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Some felt it infringed on their sense of nostalgia.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sony Music Entertainment on Monday filed a new lawsuit against artificial intelligence startup Udio, alleging it infringed on more than 30,000 recordings.
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
“There can be no lighter topics when human rights are being infringed upon.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
“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
The new lawsuit increases the number of copyrighted recordings Sony is accusing Udio of infringing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The drugmakers accused Moderna of infringing on several patents covering lipid nanoparticle technology, which is a critical component of Moderna’s mRNA vaccines.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
Novo Nordisk is seeking court orders declaring that Hims & Hers are infringing on Novo Nordisk’s patent, blocking the sale of infringing products, plus monetary damages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Most people in our community are decent, hardworking citizens who pursue their own interests legally and without infringing on the rights of others.
From "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
