transgress

American  

[trans-gres, tranz-] / trænsˈgrɛs, trænz- /

verb (used without object)

1. to violate a law, command, moral code, etc.; offend; sin.

   Synonyms:

   trespass, err

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verb (used with object)

1. to pass over or go beyond (a limit, boundary, etc.).

   to transgress bounds of prudence.

2. to go beyond the limits imposed by (a law, command, etc.); violate; infringe.

   to transgress the will of God.

   Synonyms:

   disobey, contravene

   Antonyms:

   obey

transgress British  

/ trænzˈɡrɛs /

verb

1. to break (a law, rule, etc)

2. to go beyond or overstep (a limit)

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Other Word Forms

• nontransgressive adjective
• nontransgressively adverb
• transgressive adjective
• transgressively adverb
• transgressor noun
• untransgressed adjective

Etymology

Origin of transgress

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin trānsgressus (past participle of trānsgredī “to step across”), equivalent to trāns- trans- + -gred- (combining form of gradī “to step”; see grade) + -tus past participle suffix, with dt becoming ss

Explanation

When you go beyond the boundaries, either physically or morally, you transgress. A river will transgress its banks as it floods, and students who cheat transgress school rules. Transgress sounds like and means nearly the same thing as trespass. When you transgress a rule, you're breaking it. Religions often talk about transgressing: for Christians, breaking a commandment is transgressing against God by violating his wishes. Any transgression is pushing through a boundary: like a neighbor transgressing by letting their dog into your yard: that's a physical and a legal type of transgressing. The dog got into your territory, and the owners broke a rule.

Example Sentences

"We don't allow anyone to transgress on our land," he said.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2024

Taking these points together, it becomes clear that the ordinary bounds of judicial review are capacious, and it would be extraordinarily rare for a state court to transgress them.

From Slate • Sep. 19, 2024

That was hardly a fringe view in the progressive ethos of the Bay Area, where he was based, though he still managed to transgress the boundaries on a regular basis.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2024

Humanity is on course to transgress multiple global “tipping points” that could lead to irreversible instability or the complete collapse of ecological and institutional systems, a United Nations report warned Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 26, 2023

It soon became clear that there were limits beyond which one could not transgress on the Manhattan.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown