violate

verb

ˈvī-ə-ˌlāt How to pronounce violate (audio)
Definition of violatenext
1
as in to break
to fail to keep you've violated the company's rule against smoking within 30 feet of the building

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to desecrate
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect the invaders violated the temple by using it to stable their horses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to rape
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent criminal statutes delineating acts that constitute violating another person

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of violate Clement argued the president violated the First Amendment rights of the law firm and had unlawfully retaliated against them. — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026 While a judge recently ruled that the question had to stay on the ballot, the court has not ruled on whether the deal violates the city’s own charter, which requires a fair market-value proposal. — Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026 All three men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act in 2022. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador on Wednesday announced a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the artificial intelligence company has caused harm to Idaho children and parents while violating the Idaho Consumer Protection Act. — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for violate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violate
  1. break
  2. desecrate
  3. rape
  4. breach
  5. destroy
  6. assault
  7. contravene
  8. defile
Verb
  • At a time when the fourth wall between fan and wrestler had long collapsed, Satterley rarely broke character.
    — Rudy Chinchilla, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Catch up on breaking news, exclusive interviews, political analysis, original reporting, and standout moments — all in one place, every week.
    — Washington Examiner, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of break
Verb
  • Then in January 2026, according to police, a potential family member reached out to police and said the mausoleum and grave of a relative at Riverview Cemetery were unlawfully desecrated in 2002.
    — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Without criminal consequences, operators who profit from desecrating the dead have nothing to fear.
    — Susana Mendoza, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of desecrate
Verb
  • Like Dominique Pelicot, the French man who used the online chat platform Coco to recruit men to rape his drugged and unconscious wife, the @SteveCumfulls of the world thrive on the internet’s reach and de-facto anonymity.
    — Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors allege Freire raped one of the women while she was incapacitated, took photographs of the unconscious roommates and shared the images with others.
    — Alice Gainer, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of rape
Verb
  • Leaders of India’s Cockroach Janta Party have been detained after breaching a security cordon to demand the resignation of the country’s election chief, who deleted 130 million names from voters’ lists.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The number could also be combined with additional information gathered from public profiles, breached databases or other sources.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of breach
Verb
  • Rather than undertaking the difficult but just and moral work of reform of the nation's immigration laws, Vance would destroy and expel their families with a smile, claiming that such actions will save you money.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Running low on fuel, NASA chose to steer Cassini straight into Saturn's atmosphere, where the spacecraft was destroyed.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • The men talked about who would assault the woman beforehand, took photos and recorded the assault, which was also seen on a security system feed at the home in Sullivan's Island, an affluent suburb of Charleston, state agents said.
    — MEG KINNARD, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • An assistant football coach at a Detroit high school faces assault with intent to murder, home invasion and related charges in a shooting that injured a 7-year-old child and her mother.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of assault
Verb
  • Two years ago he was suspended for three months by the Cricket Regulator for betting on cricket between 2017 and 2019, contravening the game’s rules.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The ban contravenes advice from the World ​Health Organization, which advises against travel or trade restrictions with ​Congo, where officials are currently struggling to contain a large ⁠outbreak of Ebola.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 19 July 2026
Definition of contravene
Verb
  • The murder of the family is graphic enough, but what happens to Ethan and Ivy is far more perverse, especially when Ivy’s apparently dead body is defiled by one of the feral desert gang members.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Through the ball’s circular shape and its lack of color, the painting knowingly winks at Piet Mondrian’s Composition 10 in Black and White (1915), then defiles the Dutch modernist’s aesthetic purity.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of defile

Browse Nearby Words

violable
violate
violated
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Cite this Entry

“Violate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violate. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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