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.
A section on “failures” was renamed “primary challenges,” and an item saying that crews and leaders had violated national guidelines on how to avoid firefighter deaths and injuries was scratched.
From Los Angeles Times
Several states have sued prediction-market operators, claiming that they violate state regulations on sports betting.
From MarketWatch
County officials defamed him and violated his rights.
From Los Angeles Times
By a 3-1 vote, the panel found that Lee violated five additional counts of misusing his city position or helping his boss at the time — Councilmember Mitchell Englander — misuse his position.
From Los Angeles Times
TikTok said that it removed more than 6.5 million videos for violating its rules against violent and hateful organizations in the first half of this year.
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.
