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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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:
She pointed to Durazo’s Senate Bill 716, which increased the amount local governments could fine property owners who violate health and safety ordinances in non-residential structures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026
Six Unknown Named Agents, the Supreme Court recognized that the Constitution inherently empowers people to sue federal agents who violate the rights that the Constitution protects.
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2026
"Because the court concludes that there was manifest necessity for a mistrial based on the jury's deadlock, a retrial on the murder indictments does not violate Clancy's right not to be placed in double jeopardy."
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
Europe has also expressed concern about "unsafe" non-EU products such as toys that violate the bloc's rules arriving via Chinese e-commerce platforms.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
“I just don’t think authorizing schools to violate students’ privacy is the way to do it.
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
Because five exceeds twice the true distance of two, the result violates the "at most twice" accuracy guarantee.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
The U.S. has warned Moscow that its failure to disclose details about the death violates international health obligations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Despite all the public discourse around loneliness and the need to connect, the cold call violates some of the communication norms we’ve spent decades developing.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
The organisation, which wants an end to IPPs, said the sentence "violates serious human rights".
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
This violates a basic principle of numbers called the axiom of Archimedes, which says that if you add something to itself enough times, it will exceed any other number in magnitude.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Huang seems also to have violated his company’s own conflicts-of-interest policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
To be sure, in ways that violated various internal Defense Department policies, regulations, and standards as well as international rules about minimizing civilian casualties.
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2026
County officials have violated the Constitution over conditions at the downtown jail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
"I never voted, I never signed an affidavit, and I never violated a law," he continued.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Here it is just an accepted practice, although rarely violated.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
"This is a huge issue that's only going to keep getting worse," Jasunas told AFP, adding that the experience felt "violating."
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
Yet it was not clear why redress for violating the Constitution should be dependent on Congress passing a statute.
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2026
The justices said there was insufficient evidence to show the three producers were aware they could be violating Crichton's contractual rights.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Gaspar called the allegations about creating a hostile working environment and violating campaign finance violations “lies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Otherwise, Enel was violating the Osage’s sovereignty over their underground reservation.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
