What does infringe mean?
Infringe means to break or violate a rule, law, agreement, or recognized right. Its most common modern use is in legal and business language: a company may infringe a patent, copyright, or trademark by using protected material without authorization. The word can also describe someone who violates another person’s freedom, privacy, or territorial boundaries. In these contexts, infringement is normally deliberate and constitutes an actionable or clearly objectionable breach. In broader figurative use, infringe upon an area or authority means to encroach on it or exceed one’s proper limits. The term is formal and often carries legal implications, so it is especially common in discussions of intellectual property, regulation, and competition. Although more general uses of the word exist, its association with legal rights makes it valuable for describing violations that affect both parties’ rights and responsibilities.
verbTo violate or break a law, rule, right, or formal agreement. It can also mean to encroach on someone’s rights, territory, or established boundaries.
- To violate a law, rule, official restriction, or contractual obligation.
- To violate someone’s intellectual, property, or other legal rights, especially by unauthorized copying or use.
- To encroach upon someone’s territory, privacy, freedom, or established limits.
"The company accused its competitor of infringing its patent."
"The court ruled that the advertisement infringed the trademark owner’s rights."
"As negotiations continued, neither side was willing to infringe upon the other’s territory."
The word carries the image of a boundary being broken: its legal sense grew from the idea of entering or encroaching upon something protected.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of infringe
Infringe comes from Latin infringere, formed from in-, meaning “into” or “against,” and frangere, meaning “to break.” The original sense referred to breaking into or encroaching upon something, especially territory or rights. English initially used the word in legal contexts, and later developed the modern senses of breaking a rule or violating a legal right. The same Latin root underlies words such as fragment and fracture.
Related word forms
How infringe is actually used
In legal and business contexts, infringe usually appears with intellectual-property rights, contracts, rules, or regulations. In general use, it is formal and can suggest a deliberate violation or encroachment.
Easily confused with infringe
Infringe means to violate a right, rule, or boundary, whereas inflict means to impose a punishment, injury, or other unpleasant effect.