violationnoun [ C or U ]
uk/ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/us/ˌvaɪ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/an action that breaks or acts against something, especially a law, agreement, principle, or something that should be treated with respect:
He claimed that the way he'd been treated was a gross violation of his civil/constitutional/human rights.
The takeover of the embassy constitutes a flagrant/blatant violation of international law.
It was clear that they had not acted in violation of the rules.
More examples
- The opposition parties have cried foul at the president's act, seeing it as a violation of democracy.
- The verdict was a gross violation of justice.
- She's claiming that her detention by the police was a violation of her human rights.
- He acted in violation of the law.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Obeying & breaking the law
- abide
- adhere
- afoul
- bend the law/rules idiom
- breach
- break
- breaker
- clean
- clean up your act idiom
- commit
- compliant
- conform
- contravene
- disobey
- hold
- law-abiding
- perpetrate
- respect
- venal
- violate
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