infringed; infringing
1
: to encroach upon in a way that violates law or the rights of another
infringe a patent
: encroach
—used with on or upon
infringe on our rights
infringer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of infringe in a Sentence
They claim that his use of the name infringes their copyright.
Her rights must not be infringed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Last year, Levi’s settled a lawsuit accusing the Italian luxury label Brunello Cucinelli of infringing on its trademarked rectangular pocket tab.
—
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Jan. 2025
Products that closely resemble an iconic designer item without blatantly ripping off their trademark, often called dupes, exist in a legal gray area and can cross the line from being simply an homage to a popular style to infringing on a copyright.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 3 Jan. 2025
Authors, news outlets, and musicians have accused companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta Platforms of infringing on their rights, highlighting the need for clear guidelines on AI's use and creation of intellectual property.
—Hamilton Mann, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Those rights often are infringed upon long before election day.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for infringe 
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Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Jan. 2025
Products that closely resemble an iconic designer item without blatantly ripping off their trademark, often called dupes, exist in a legal gray area and can cross the line from being simply an homage to a popular style to infringing on a copyright.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 3 Jan. 2025
Authors, news outlets, and musicians have accused companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta Platforms of infringing on their rights, highlighting the need for clear guidelines on AI's use and creation of intellectual property.
—Hamilton Mann, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Those rights often are infringed upon long before election day.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for infringe
Articles Related to infringe
Dictionary Entries Near infringe
Cite this Entry
“Infringe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infringe. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
infringe
verb
in·fringe
in-ˈfrinj 
infringed; infringing
1
: to fail to obey or act in agreement with : violate
infringe a treaty
2
: encroach sense 1
infringe on a person's rights
infringement
noun
-mənt
infringer
noun
Legal Definition
infringe
verb
in·fringe
in-ˈfrinj
infringed; infringing
: to encroach upon in a way that violates law or the rights of another
the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed—U.S. Constitution amend. II
U.S. Constitution amend. II
especially
: to violate a holder's rights under (a copyright, patent, trademark, or trade name)
infringer
noun
Etymology
Medieval Latin infringere, from Latin, to break, crush, from in- in + frangere to break
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