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infringe

 - 4 dictionary results

in·fringe

   [in-frinj] verb,-fringed, -fring·ing.
–verb (used with object)
1.
to commit a breach or infraction of; violate or transgress: to infringe a copyright; to infringe a rule.
–verb (used without object)
2.
to encroach or trespass (usually fol. by on or upon): Don't infringe on his privacy.
Use infringe in a Sentence
Origin:
1525–35; < L infringere to break, weaken, equiv. to in- in-2 + -fringere, comb. form of frangere to break

—Related forms
in·fring·er, noun
un·in·fringed, adjective

—Can be confused: infringe, impinge.

—Synonyms
1. break, disobey. 2. poach. See trespass.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary
infringe (ɪnˈfrɪndʒ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
1.  (tr) to violate or break (a law, an agreement, etc)
2.  (intr; foll by on or upon) to encroach or trespass
 
[C16: from Latin infringere to break off, from frangere to break]
 
in'fringement
 
—n
 
in'fringer
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Word Origin & History

infringe
mid-15c., from L. infringere "to damage, break off," from in- "in" + frangere "to break" (see fraction). Meaning of "encroach" first recorded c.1760.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: in·fringe
Pronunciation: in-'frinj
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: in·fringed; in·fring·ing
Etymology: Medieval Latin infringere, from Latin, to break, crush, from in- in + frangere to break
transitive verb : to encroach upon in a way that violates law or the rights of another infringed —U.S. Constitution amendment II>; especially : to violate a holder's rights under (a copyright, patent, trademark, or trade name) intransitive verb : ENCROACH —in·fring·er noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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