1
as in breaking
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 destroying
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 raping
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
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Recent Examples of violating
In their filing in Sacramento Superior Court, the residents accuse city officials of violating Measure O, which mandates that interim shelters sit more than 500 feet away from bodies of water or streams.
—
Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Sculptor and illustrator Jacques Tilly, who designed the aforementioned float, has been reported to the police for disseminating hate speech and violating the Criminal Code, which prohibits the use of Nazi imagery for purposes not expressly linked to art, scholarship, teaching, or reporting.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
His ruling follows a lawsuit filed in December by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, who sued the administration for allegedly violating federal construction guidelines.
—News Desk, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
After a lawsuit accused the college’s board of trustees of violating Florida’s public transparency laws, the school took a new vote in December — clearing the way for the state to transfer the land.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
The suit alleges that Evanston’s Reparations Program uses race as an eligibility requirement for consideration, thereby violating the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause.
—Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Hanaway also said that the company is violating state health laws for bringing unapproved drugs to market without regulatory approvals.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
While violating a contract is not a federal crime, making material misrepresentations, in a contract or otherwise, to fraudulently obtain money can be.
—Robert L. Boone, Sportico.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Being taught society’s standard eating rituals, so as not to disgust others by violating them, was certainly a useful part of ordinary child-rearing.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Sculptor and illustrator Jacques Tilly, who designed the aforementioned float, has been reported to the police for disseminating hate speech and violating the Criminal Code, which prohibits the use of Nazi imagery for purposes not expressly linked to art, scholarship, teaching, or reporting.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
His ruling follows a lawsuit filed in December by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, who sued the administration for allegedly violating federal construction guidelines.
—News Desk, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
After a lawsuit accused the college’s board of trustees of violating Florida’s public transparency laws, the school took a new vote in December — clearing the way for the state to transfer the land.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
The suit alleges that Evanston’s Reparations Program uses race as an eligibility requirement for consideration, thereby violating the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause.
—Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Hanaway also said that the company is violating state health laws for bringing unapproved drugs to market without regulatory approvals.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
While violating a contract is not a federal crime, making material misrepresentations, in a contract or otherwise, to fraudulently obtain money can be.
—Robert L. Boone, Sportico.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Being taught society’s standard eating rituals, so as not to disgust others by violating them, was certainly a useful part of ordinary child-rearing.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violating
Verb
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These titles include Hijra, from ground-breaking Saudi director Shahad Ameen; TIFF selections Amoeba by Tan Siyou and Maddie by John Early as well as AI documentary Intelligence Rising from Oscar and BAFTA winning filmmaker Elena Andreicheva.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
-
His most recent stop before Arkansas was in Baltimore, Maryland, as a night and breaking news editor.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Pentagon has generally lumped it into the first objective of destroying Iran’s missile capability.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
But there may be an answer, or at least a compromise that will satisfy those unhappy with the idea of destroying a usable building.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The execution of a former police officer convicted of murdering and raping a young girl nearly 40 years ago will remain on hold after the state Supreme Court on Monday denied the state’s request to lift the stay, according to court documents.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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People all over the globe were in disbelief that a man could perpetuate a campaign of drugging and raping his wife without her knowledge, and even more sickened that dozens of men joined him in his crimes.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Passage has long been free and required no special permission, as formally guaranteed by the United Nations' 1982 Convention of the Law of the Sea, which means Iran is breaching international maritime law.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Pro-Iranian hacking group Handala claims credit for breaching FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email account, posting old photos and documents online.—
Eric Tucker,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And a coke-snorting, heirloom-desecrating, funeral-crashing adversary at that.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
-
With the help of that tiny clipping of moss, the defendants were eventually convicted of desecrating human remains in 2015.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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According to Sadriu, officers learned that Cupe was allegedly assaulting a woman in the park when a bystander intervened in an effort to stop the assault.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The untitled film marks Majors’ first movie in four years after he was dropped from numerous projects when found guilty in 2023 of assaulting his former girlfriend.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the years intervening, the poem has remained a lodestar, a contravening presence when, in present day America’s vituperative political landscape, the humanities disciplines and higher education itself has been forced to invoke and defend its own authority.—
Elaine L. Wang
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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The problem comes when ideological casting choices begin to undermine the narrative, contravening Grisham’s famously effective structure and pacing.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Heat did it by sitting in its zone defense for most of the night, slowing the 76ers and forcing them into 17 non-paint two-point shots.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The decision drew immediate fire from El-Sayed's primary opponents and national Democratic figures, forcing a rare public reckoning over how far the party should go to recapture young men who abandoned it in record numbers in 2024.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Violating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violating. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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