violation

American  

[vahy-uh-ley-shuhn] / ˌvaɪ əˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

violations plural

1. the act of violating.

2. the state of being violated.

3. a breach, infringement, or transgression, as of a law, rule, promise, etc..

   He was fined for a traffic violation.

4. desecration; profanation.

   the violation of a cemetery.

5. sexual molestation, especially rape.

6. a distortion of meaning or fact.

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Synonym Usage

See breach.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonviolation
  noun
• previolation
  noun
• reviolation
  noun
• violational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• violations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of violation

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin violātiōn- (stem of violātiō ), equivalent to violāt ( us ) ( see violate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Anytime a person crosses a boundary — a legal boundary, a moral boundary, a physical boundary, or a binding business deal — that's a violation. When a burglar picks the lock on your door, that's a violation of your property. A violation can be a disrespectful act or the crossing of someone’s physical boundaries. When you're forced to shake hands with your boss's wife, the way her perfume stings your eyes might feel like a violation. Violation is often used to describe an action that disregards an agreement or a basic right, such as a violation of a global climate treaty or a human rights violation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

violation violations

The match was initially paused as Alexandrova tried to continue, before she received a time violation as she took too long to serve amid her struggles.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Unless previously deported, living in the country illegally is considered a civil violation rather than a crime and carries penalties such as arrests, fines and deportation proceedings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Provided they entered the U.S. legally and were not charged with any other immigration violation, anyone seeking asylum is supposed to have the opportunity to make their case to a trained asylum officer.

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

The singer accused the hackers of violating the "sacred relationship that exists between her and her fans" and is suing for invasion of privacy, violation of California computer hacking laws, and conversion.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Walking through someone’s home and personal possessions felt not only like trespassing, it felt like a violation.

From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys

A construction company agreed to pay $11 million last year to resolve environmental violations after it admitted it used more than 4,000 tons of contaminated fill to rebuild a Rhode Island state highway interchange.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Another resident spoke of downloading a smartphone app to track decibel levels throughout the day, intending to document the noise of the coaster screams and report any violations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Cycling did plenty to earn it in the early 2000s—more than a quarter of the Tours this century have seen the winners stripped of their titles for doping violations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The program officially went into effect on July 1, and as of a few days ago, the city is averaging about 150 violations per month, including the warning period that began May 1, Thomas said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Though he technically never confessed to any code of conduct violations.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

Related Words

• abuse
• contravention
• encroachment
• infraction
• infringement
• misdemeanor
• negligence
• offense
• transgression