transgression
Americannoun
-
transgressions
plural
noun
-
a breach of a law, etc; sin or crime
-
the act or an instance of transgressing
Synonym Usage
See breach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of transgression
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin trānsgressiōn-, stem of trānsgressiō “passage across, transition, violation”; equivalent to transgress + -ion
Explanation
A transgression is something that is against a command or law. Whether you are cheating on a test, or cheating on a spouse, you are committing transgressions that are not easily forgiven. A transgression can be a failure to do your duty. A sin is a transgression against God. The noun transgression is from Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin "act of crossing, passing over," from transgredi "to step or pass over."
Vocabulary lists containing transgression
The Giver
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List 1
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Power Prefix: trans-
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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:
The home-plate umpire paused the game to admonish Santana for coming set before Caballero was looking at him, a transgression that could result in an automatic ball being added to the count.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
When it comes to prisons, there is very serious harm done by our unquestioned acceptance of carcerality and punishment as the main way of dealing with social transgression.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
"These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression," the UAE's foreign ministry said, adding that the country reserves the "right to respond".
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
Was he trying to assuage his guilt for some transgression?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2025
What happens in training is highly secretive, so there’s no point in taking action against me when no one will know what my transgression was.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
His comedic sensibility explores cruelty, shock, transgressions and antiheroes — and it’s also what continues to draw him to literature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Other transgressions there included urine contamination from rodents on food packaging and shelving, inadequate cleaning standards and structural defects allowing pest entry.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
That they were macho-coded transgressions was core to his sustained support.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
But as the network of civil-rights agencies grew, the transgressions those agencies aimed to prosecute diminished in number and import.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
She tried to explain that the documentary was necessary for her to explore past-life transgressions, but he said it was March Madness and past-life transgression didn’t happen during college basketball season.
From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
