infringed
Americanadjective
-
violated, transgressed, or encroached upon, as a regulation, restriction, or right.
The costs of enforcing an infringed patent can be exceedingly high.
He complained that CCTV was an ever more common security measure for which we all pay the price of infringed privacy.
-
illegally copied, distributed, or sold, as in contravention of a copyright or patent.
A judge dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that the allegedly infringed material lacked the requisite originality.
-
relating to or being someone whose copyright, patent, etc., has been violated.
When awarding damages, it must be considered how wealthy the infringed company could have been without the infringement.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of infringed
First recorded in 1590–1600; 1955–60 infringed for def. 2; infringe + -ed 2 for the adjective senses; infringe + -ed 1 for the verb sense
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.
Audio firm Taction Technology claimed in 2021 that Apple had infringed two of its patents for haptics systems, which enable vibrations for actions such as receiving a message or pressing a button.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said Monday that Google infringed the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation following a 2020 investigation into the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Some felt it infringed on their sense of nostalgia.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed, reiterating that “the allegedly infringed material — basic ideas, themes, metaphors, isolated words, and short phrases — is not protected expression and cannot be infringed.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
But each such error reflected negatively on his parents’ guidance and infringed on the community’s sense of order and success.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
