infringement
Americannoun
-
infringements
plural
-
a breach or infraction, as of a law, right, or obligation; violation; transgression.
-
an act of infringing.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of infringement
Explanation
An infringement is a minor offense that involves breaking a rule or a law. If your sister takes a chapter from your book and publishes it as her own, you could sue her for copyright infringement. An infringement can result in legal penalties if you’re breaking a law, as in the case of a copyright infringement or a patent infringement. An infringement can also be a violation of a rule or an agreement that applies in a specific situation. In that case there are no legal consequences, but there are still penalties. If the referee sees an infringement of the rules during your soccer game, he’ll penalize your team by awarding your opponents a free kick.
Vocabulary lists containing infringement
Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
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“Vaccine Controversy Shows Why We Need Markets, Not Mandates” by Ron Paul
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for March 27–April 2, 2021
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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:
Rodina also said Yabloko was guilty of copyright infringement after a senior party member had quoted the lyrics of a Soviet-era song - "Let there always be sunshine" - in an interview.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Muluh was disqualified and not allowed to reattempt the lift by judges, who ruled on a separate technical infringement.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Fedorova's employers said this week they were astonished to learn of the expulsion order, which they said amounted to "a particularly serious infringement of freedom of expression".
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
“We take copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all appropriate remedies to protect our content and intellectual property rights.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Esso suspected copyright infringement and prepared several lawsuits, but in fact, an unknown resident had built “The Agloe General Store” at the intersection that appeared on the Esso map.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
The EU said the fine's amount took into consideration the nature of the violations, the impact on Europeans and the duration of the infringements.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Some downloads, it says, were coordinated among several Meta IP addresses, all based on the same algorithmic keywords and occurring simultaneously, suggesting that the infringements “took place within Meta’s walls.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
The Owls have already been docked 18 points this season for financial infringements under Chansiri.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
It asserts that because all of X’s “alleged infringements were self-explanatory,” the commission “primarily relied on gathering its own evidence.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
He was continually marching Antonapoulos down to the courthouse during lunch hour to settle these infringements of the law.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
