violate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
- previolate verb (used with object)
- reviolate verb (used with object)
- violability noun
- violable adjective
- violably adverb
- violater noun
- violation noun
- violative adjective
- violator noun
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); -ate 1 ( def. )
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.
Seitz said the men had assaulted him, and that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and deputies had violated his civil rights, inflicted emotional stress, defamed him and conspired to keep the matter quiet.
From Los Angeles Times
Usually the pressure is on schools to make sure rules are not violated, but for Bylaw 600, schools can do everything right and still be punished for a player violating the rule on their own.
From Los Angeles Times
The hearing abruptly went off the record as staff scrambled to figure out who had violated House rules.
From Salon
Canadian officials met OpenAI senior staff earlier this week in Ottawa, after the company revealed it had shut down a ChatGPT account used by the suspect in June 2025 for violating usage terms.
From BBC
"This transaction did not violate any tax regulations," Mr Leon told the BBC.
From BBC
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.
