English Reference
Verb

infringe

v.
C1 Advanced US /ˌɪnˈfɹɪndʒ/ UK /ɪnfɹˈɪndʒ/ in·fringe UK spelling infringes

v.to break a law or a rule. It can also mean to enter a private area without permission.

v.to violate or transgress a law, right, or privilege; to enter a private property without permission. Transitive — requires a direct object.


SIMPLE

The new law infringes on our right to privacy.

CONTEXTUAL

The company was fined for infringing on a patent held by a smaller competitor.

COMPLEX

Legal scholars argue that the proposed surveillance measures infringe upon fundamental civil liberties, creating a climate of fear that stifles free expression.

A federal judge criticised the Trump government for attempting to infringe upon foreign students' rights to free speech.

Al Jazeera· 29 Aug 2026

The US district judge Reed O’Connor, who was appointed ​by George W Bush, said the 2022 rule infringes on a person’s right to make or repair personal firearms.

The Guardian· 19 Aug 2026

Borrowed from Latin infringere (“to break off, break, bruise, weaken, destroy”), from in (“in”) + frangere (“to break”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin infringere
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated