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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 But in 2019, competition enforcers found that that the company had been violating the agreement by strong-arming venues to accept Ticketmaster’s services as a condition for hosting Live Nation performers, and retaliating against those that refused. Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2025 The presence of undeclared color additives violates labeling requirements and may present a risk for people with sensitivities. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025 Arguing that the policy’s racial prejudice violated his constitutional rights, Korematsu worked with the American Civil Liberties Union to take his case to the Supreme Court in 1944. Lauren Stienstra, Time, 17 Apr. 2025 While initially dismissed, the case has seen developments in state courts, particularly in Montana, where a ruling found that prohibiting the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions violated the state constitution. Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for violate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violate
Verb
  • Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The only Heat players ruled out Wednesday are Nikola Jovic (broken right hand), Kevin Love (personal reasons) and Dru Smith (left Achilles surgery).
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The reception of the fourth season was colored by the lingering resonance of the Jan. 6 insurrection, by the still vivid image of American landmarks being desecrated by costumed citizens.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Unruly tourists have caused traffic jams and public commotions, offended local sensibilities, trashed the environment, and desecrated sacred sites.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Earlier in the episode, Whitfield and Lindy violate Mabel — then pour hot coffee on her — before Whitfield pushes her down on the breakfast table and rapes her.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 6 Apr. 2025
  • In 2023, Tacopina would join Trump’s legal team in the civil case brought against the president by journalist E. Jean Carroll, who claimed that Trump rape her in the mid-1990s.
    Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Swollen rivers could breach their banks in the coming days as floodwater filters back into area waterways.
    Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
  • In 2024, the planet breached 1.5°C of warming above pre-industrial temperatures, an ominous milestone—and a reminder of the urgency with which the world must tackle this challenge.
    TIME PR, Time, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The gangs have resumed kidnappings, while burning hospitals and destroying schools.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2025
  • Meanwhile, over 100 government offices and other structures have been forced to shut their doors, relocate or have been destroyed.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Uber has said the driver gave them a different version of events, saying the driver claimed the two riders fought in the back of his car and assaulted him at the end of the trip.
    Annabella Rosciglione, The Washington Examiner, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Warhorse bandmates drummer Tre Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt assaulted their instruments with their trademark goofiness and aggression, with three other touring members helping fill the massive venue with a legion of guitars and keys.
    Jeff Miller, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The first phase was not smooth, with accusations by each side that the other was contravening the agreement.
    Ibrahim Dahman, CNN, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Its attempt to designate Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins as acting special counsel was not an effort to contravene the lower court’s prohibition on recognizing a different special counsel because this was merely signaling who would take over if Dellinger was out (an inane argument).
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The sacred plant, long defiled, heralded, as in the time of the Inca and all the ancient civilizations of the Andes, as a gift of the gods.
    Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
  • In the Parsi tradition, the bones are left there to gradually disintegrate over time, completing the return to nature without defiling the earth.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Violate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violate. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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