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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 That has led to China and the US trading barbs in the past week, over which side violated the temporary trade agreement reached in Geneva. John Liu, CNN Money, 5 June 2025 If an interaction that violates our Community Guidelines occurs, report it to us. ArsTechnica, 5 June 2025 Trump administration targeting more CT school districts over transgender policies The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether district policy was violating federal law by allowing transgender students to participate in sports and use facilities aligned with their gender identity. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2025 But looming in the background is Lee’s case for violating South Korea’s election law that could potentially bar him from politics for at least five years. Charlie Campbell, Time, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for violate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violate
Verb
  • Ventura Fine testified that Clark was aware Combs had allegedly threatened to release explicit footage of her, while Cudi said Clark was the one who told him Combs had allegedly broken into his Los Angeles home after learning of his relationship with Ventura Fine.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 28 May 2025
  • Clear communication, the ability to break things down into clear parts, and put them back together are essential.
    Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • And the Germans entered forcibly, violating all that, desecrating it with their presence.
    Ann Goldstein, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
  • Crumb desecrated sleek American surfaces in a way that felt disturbing and profound, especially to the many young people also dropping acid.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • According to LaBella’s lawsuit, Costner, the director, improvised a scene in which Hunt’s character would be raped.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 28 May 2025
  • In the meantime, four other women in the U.K. have continued with a separate lawsuit against Andrew Tate, accusing him in a civil proceeding of having raped and physically abused them, and insisting police and prosecutors had failed them by declining to pursue criminal charges several years ago.
    Willem Marx, NPR, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • According to the agencies, the GRU hackers also carried out reconnaissance of the network of at least one producer of industrial control system components for railway systems—suggesting a possible intention to attempt sabotage—but didn’t actually succeed in breaching the company.
    Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 24 May 2025
  • Protesters breached the building, and police — who were spread thin — didn’t have the resources to hold it.
    Steve Karnowski, Twin Cities, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • Another key feature of algae oil is its high smoke point of 535 degrees—the temperature at which oil begins to break down, release dangerous chemicals, and destroy its nutrients.
    Jonathan Purtell, Verywell Health, 27 May 2025
  • The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea from a group of Native American activists and supporters to block a copper mining company from destroying an Apache religious site.
    Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 27 May 2025
Verb
  • Two percent said they had been physically assaulted.
    Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 3 June 2025
  • Diddy trial recap: Ex-aide Mia says Diddy assaulted Cassie at Brad Pitt movie premiere Supporting others Thurston aims to document her journey to recovery in the hope of helping others.
    Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Verb
  • Three plaintiffs claimed that anti-Chinese legislation was discriminatory, violated constitutional protections prohibiting unreasonable search and seizure, and contravened due process and equal protection guarantees.
    Rick Baldoz, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The statute leaves no role for agencies to 'assess citizenship,' and the president lacks any lawful authority to contravene the NVRA by requiring agencies to do so.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 24 Apr. 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 10 Jun. 2025.

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