Library / English Dictionary

VIOLATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Destroy

Example:

violate my privacy

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "violate" is one way to...):

disturb; touch (tamper with)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Destroy and strip of its possession

Example:

The soldiers raped the beautiful country

Synonyms:

despoil; plunder; rape; spoil; violate

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "violate" is one way to...):

destroy; ruin (destroy completely; damage irreparably)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They want to violate the prisoners

Sense 3

Meaning:

Act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises

Example:

break a promise

Synonyms:

breach; break; go against; infract; offend; transgress; violate

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "violate" is one way to...):

disrespect (show a lack of respect for)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "violate"):

sin; transgress; trespass (commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law)

blunder; boob; drop the ball; goof; sin (commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake)

conflict; contravene; infringe; run afoul (go against, as of rules and laws)

trespass (break the law)

intrude; trespass (enter unlawfully on someone's property)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

violable (capable of being violated)

violative (violating or tending to violate or offend against)

violator (someone who violates the law)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Force (someone) to have sex against their will

Example:

The woman was raped on her way home at night

Synonyms:

assault; dishonor; dishonour; outrage; rape; ravish; violate

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "violate" is one way to...):

assail; assault; attack; set on (attack someone physically or emotionally)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "violate"):

gang-rape (rape (someone) successively with several attackers)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

violation (the crime of forcing a person to submit to sexual intercourse against his or her will)

violator (someone who assaults others sexually)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Violate the sacred character of a place or language

Example:

profane the name of God

Synonyms:

desecrate; outrage; profane; violate

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "violate" is one way to...):

assail; assault; attack; set on (attack someone physically or emotionally)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

violation (entry to another's property without right or permission)

violation (a disrespectful act)

violative (violating or tending to violate or offend against)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns

Example:

This sentence violates the rules of syntax

Synonyms:

break; go against; violate

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "violate"):

fly in the face of; fly in the teeth of (go against)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Antonym:

conform to (observe)

Derivation:

violable (capable of being violated)

violation (an act that disregards an agreement or a right)

violative (violating or tending to violate or offend against)

Credits

 Context examples: 

One cannot violate the promptings of one's nature without having that nature recoil upon itself.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

He could not re-thumb himself in a day, nor could he violate the intrinsic kindliness of his nature; so, at such moments, he smiled at the girls in warm human friendliness.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

I accept your limitation, said Van Helsing, and all I ask of you is that if you feel it necessary to condemn any act of mine, you will first consider it well and be satisfied that it does not violate your reservations.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

So run away he did, violating his own nature and pride with every leap he made, and leaping all day long.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

It violates our senses.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Here he was compelled to violate his instinct of self-preservation, and violate it he did, for he was becoming tame and qualifying himself for civilisation.

(White Fang, by Jack London)