1
as in offences
a breaking of a moral or legal code
in colonial times blasphemy was considered a serious civil violation that merited harsh punishment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in infringements
a failure to uphold the requirements of law, duty, or obligation
a military action that must be regarded as a violation of the treaty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rapes
the act of forcing a person to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse
war crimes include the violation of civilians
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 violations
Raise the stakes for farmers There have been calls not just to hold farmers more accountable for H-2A violations, but also to reward the ones who comply with labor laws.
—
Max Blau, ProPublica, 16 Sep. 2025
Moving too quickly without considering ethical implications can lead to biased algorithms or privacy violations.
—Andrew Dunn, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Immigration advocates have condemned the moves as violations of the First Amendment's right to freedom of speech.
—Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
The Polish military said no airspace violations were recorded on Saturday after jets were deployed in the airspace along the border with Ukraine.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2025
Most restaurants correct violations at the time of the original inspection or shortly after.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
The bills, named for the global pop star — and the frantic rush to get tickets for her shows around the country — strengthen penalties for using bots to buy tickets in bulk and give the state attorney general the ability to investigate potential violations of the law.
—Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025
If there was one, luxury brands operating there would be complicit of economic sanctions violations, if not in the letter, at least in the spirit if most purchases were indeed brought to Russia.
—Stéphane Jg Girod, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Accountability mechanisms would have to be built in to ensure violations come at a cost.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024
Max Blau, ProPublica, 16 Sep. 2025
Moving too quickly without considering ethical implications can lead to biased algorithms or privacy violations.
—Andrew Dunn, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Immigration advocates have condemned the moves as violations of the First Amendment's right to freedom of speech.
—Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
The Polish military said no airspace violations were recorded on Saturday after jets were deployed in the airspace along the border with Ukraine.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2025
Most restaurants correct violations at the time of the original inspection or shortly after.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
The bills, named for the global pop star — and the frantic rush to get tickets for her shows around the country — strengthen penalties for using bots to buy tickets in bulk and give the state attorney general the ability to investigate potential violations of the law.
—Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025
If there was one, luxury brands operating there would be complicit of economic sanctions violations, if not in the letter, at least in the spirit if most purchases were indeed brought to Russia.
—Stéphane Jg Girod, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Accountability mechanisms would have to be built in to ensure violations come at a cost.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violations
Noun
-
Legislators lengthened the state’s deadline to prosecute rapes of adults from 10 to 15 years.—
Willoughby Mariano,
ProPublica,
11 Sep. 2025
-
For more than four decades, the home invasion rapes of two women went unsolved, California prosecutors say.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Federal prosecutors charged a UK teenager with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and other crimes in connection with the network intrusions of 47 US companies that generated more than $115 million in ransomware payments over a three-year span.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
19 Sep. 2025
-
In her wrongful termination lawsuit against Bianco, Flores describes how many of the sheriff’s employees were fired or charged with crimes while others were let off with little or no discipline.—
Christopher Damien,
USA Today,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This coalesces and makes sense of the barrage of assaults designed to undermine Americans’ trust in our country, our Constitution and all the principles upon which it was built.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
-
These smears are contributing to our ICE law enforcement officers facing 1,000 percent increase in assaults against them.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This début novel of Southern small-town life considers the hypocrisies forged in patriarchy’s crucible and the difficulty of reckoning with a father’s sins.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Among dentists, it's treated as one of the great sins, right up there with sugar before bed or smoking cigarettes.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Violations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violations. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share