vi·o·late
ˈvī-ə-ˌlāt 
violated; violating
2
: to do harm to the person or especially the chastity of
specifically
: rape sense 1
3
: to fail to show proper respect for : profane
violate a shrine
Synonyms
Examples of violate in a Sentence
Verb
He was arrested for violating his parole.
The company violated its customers' privacy.
She was attacked and violated by an unknown intruder.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 July 2024
Listen to this article A Sarasota judge ruled Monday that police’s search of former Republican Party of Florida chairperson Christian Ziegler’s cellphone amid rape allegations violated the U.S. Constitution.
—Justin Garcia, Orlando Sentinel, 1 July 2024
The lawsuit, filed by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union, argued that Georgia’s deadline violates the Voting Rights Act’s mandate for absentee ballots in presidential elections if applied seven days before the election.
—Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 July 2024
But federal prosecutors in May told a judge Boeing had violated the terms of the agreement, claiming the company failed to set up sufficient compliance measures.
—Kathryn Krupnik, CBS News, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for violate 
Verb
The plea deal talks began after the DOJ found Boeing violated the 2021 agreement.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 July 2024
Listen to this article A Sarasota judge ruled Monday that police’s search of former Republican Party of Florida chairperson Christian Ziegler’s cellphone amid rape allegations violated the U.S. Constitution.
—Justin Garcia, Orlando Sentinel, 1 July 2024
The lawsuit, filed by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union, argued that Georgia’s deadline violates the Voting Rights Act’s mandate for absentee ballots in presidential elections if applied seven days before the election.
—Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 July 2024
But federal prosecutors in May told a judge Boeing had violated the terms of the agreement, claiming the company failed to set up sufficient compliance measures.
—Kathryn Krupnik, CBS News, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for violate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'violate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near violate
Cite this Entry
“Violate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violate. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
violate
transitive verb
vi·o·late
ˈvī-ə-ˌlāt
violated; violating
: to go against (as a prohibition or principle) : fail to observe or respect
violate a law
civil rights were violated
violate due process
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