infringe
infringe Lexical Profile
infringe Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To actively break the terms of a law, agreement, patent, or copyright.
"The software company was sued for distributing code that infringed several existing patents."
To act so as to limit, undermine, or encroach upon someone's rights, freedoms, or territory (usually followed by 'on' or 'upon').
"Critics argued that the new surveillance regulations would unfairly infringe upon citizens' right to privacy."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used transitively, 'infringe' typically refers to violating a law, patent, or copyright (e.g., 'to infringe a copyright'), whereas when used intransitively with 'on' or 'upon', it usually means to encroach on someone's rights or freedom (e.g., 'to infringe on personal privacy').
• Rhymes for infringe
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 16th century from Latin 'infringere' ('to break off, bruise, or weaken'), formed from 'in-' ('in, upon') and 'frangere' ('to break'), the same root that gives English 'fracture' and 'fragile'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.