violate
Americanverb (used with object)
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violates,
present (3rd person singular)
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violated,
past participle, past
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violating
present participle
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to act against (a law, principle, promise, agreement, instruction, etc.); break, transgress, or fail to honor.
He violated city bylaws by building without a permit.
I’d stay longer, but I don’t want to violate my curfew.
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to treat (something precious, sacred, beautiful, etc.) with disrespect or contempt; mar or desecrate.
They feel compelled to speak out against governments that violate human rights.
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to break through or into by force or without right, as a border, home, property, restricted space, etc..
A hostile power has violated our airspace.
They returned to find that their home had been violated.
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to break in upon or disturb rudely; interfere thoughtlessly with.
These surveillance cameras violate my privacy.
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to molest sexually, especially to rape.
verb
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to break, disregard, or infringe (a law, agreement, etc)
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to rape or otherwise sexually assault
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to disturb rudely or improperly; break in upon
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to treat irreverently or disrespectfully; outrage
he violated a sanctuary
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obsolete to mistreat physically
adjective
Usage
What else does violate mean? To violate is to breach some code of conduct, often in an egregious manner. It is often used to describe breaking the law or committing physical violence against another–especially rape and sexual assault. In Black slang, to violate someone is personally insulting or assaulting someone.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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violabilitynoun
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violaternoun
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violationnoun
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violatornoun
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previolateverb (used with object)
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reviolateverb (used with object)
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violableadjective
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violativeadjective
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violablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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violatesimple
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violatessimple
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have violatedperfect
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has violatedperfect
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am violatingprogressive
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are violatingprogressive
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is violatingprogressive
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have been violatingperfect progressive
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has been violatingperfect progressive
Past
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violatedsimple
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had violatedperfect
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was violatingprogressive
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were violatingprogressive
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had been violatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of violate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin violātus “treated with violence,” past participle of violāre “to treat with violence, violate,” apparently derivative of violentus violent ( def. ) (taking viol- as base); see -ate 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Violate is a verb that describes actions that show no respect for people, laws, property, and customs. Drivers violate the law when they fail to stop at red lights, and people violate your privacy when they eavesdrop on your personal conversations. Violate comes from the Latin word violatus which means "to break," as in a promise or oath. As members of our society, we make unspoken promises — to follow all laws, to help people if we can, or at the very least, not hurt them. So when we violate — laws, property, people's abilities to live safe, peaceful lives — we break the promises that come with being lawful citizens.
Vocabulary lists containing violate
"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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Lesson 1
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"Too Young to Drive?" and "Rules of the Road"
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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:
Regulators around the world have been ramping up enforcement against social media companies that violate laws around protecting children's data, privacy and safety.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
But an official summary states that federal regulators may impose “sanctions and economic fines” against outlets that violate the new standards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
According to interviews and internal emails reviewed by ProPublica, career staffers at the Justice Department warned that transferring voter rolls to HSI to enable it to search for noncitizen voters could violate federal privacy laws.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Critics say they violate privacy rights, citing incidents where officers have allegedly used Flock’s cameras for stalking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
As his synagogue grew from 180 members to nearly 1,200 wine-seeking members in a year, Gardner exclaimed, “They kept calling for wine, wine, and more wine. I refused to violate the law to please them.”
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
When Teng feels that including a photo of dead children violates their dignity, Perlmutter chides her, insisting that their obligation is to show Americans what their tax dollars are funding.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Here, the defense claims the two prosecution teams didn’t act separately at all, which they argue violates Mangione’s constitutional right to due process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Now, there is a question of whether that law violates the Kentucky Constitution, the United States Constitution, or both constitutions.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026
While residents say the screaming is crushingly loud, there’s no indication as of yet the ride violates any county standards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The quantum hypothesis violates everything our everyday experience tells us.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Maxwell had appealed against her five felony convictions, claiming her constitutional rights had been "violated in multiple respects".
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The Post called Attiah’s comments “gross misconduct” and said they violated its social media policy.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to settle a lawsuit with the US Department of Justice over claims that the video-sharing platform violated federal children's privacy laws, the department announced on Friday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Leaving the brush to grow violated Edison’s safety standard for “structure brushing,” the filing said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The round usually began with a collective discomfort on the first tee, after Eisman turned up wearing something that violated the Wall Street golfer’s notion of propriety.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Social media users in turn amplified the issue, and after three months Nguyen Van Sau was charged with "violating regulations on participation in road traffic".
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Anthropic has accused Chinese companies, including both Z.AI and Moonshot, of violating its policies by engaging in large-scale distillation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“The risk-taking can be happening in secret, and that gets into violating trust and financial infidelity,” Taylor warned.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The lab team also worried about violating longstanding safeguards limiting use of private citizen data.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
I surely wanted to get back in that water, but I couldn’t help but feel that if I took Dinitia up on her offer, I’d be violating some sort of taboo.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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.
