Meaning & use
ethics violation
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Meaning
nouncountable
An action that breaks the accepted rules of conduct for a profession or group.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a' or 'an' for one, or make it plural for more than one.
Patterns
- commit an ethics violation
- be accused of an ethics violation
- a serious ethics violation
The committee found that the lawyer had committed an ethics violation by sharing confidential information.
Politicians can face an ethics violation charge if they fail to disclose their financial interests.
The company was fined for an ethics violation after it was discovered they had bribed officials.
Word forms
| plural | ethics violations |
|---|
Common combinations
- commit an ethics violation
- He was afraid he might commit an ethics violation if he accepted the gift.
- serious ethics violation
- Lying under oath is considered a serious ethics violation.
- accused of an ethics violation
- The senator was accused of an ethics violation for using campaign funds for personal travel.
- investigate an ethics violation
- The board hired an outside firm to investigate the ethics violation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- breach of ethics
- A more formal phrase with similar meaning, often used in legal or official documents.
- misconduct
- A broader term that can include ethics violations as well as other improper behavior.
Word family
Commonly confused: ethics violation or ethnic violation?
ethics violation vs ethnic violation
Not a real phrase. 'Ethnic' relates to a group's culture or origin, while 'ethics' relates to moral rules.
Practice
The judge was removed from the case after she was found to have committed a(n) ______ by accepting gifts from a party involved.
Choose one answer.
'Ethics violation' is the standard phrase for breaking professional conduct rules. 'Ethical violation' is not commonly used; 'ethnic violation' is unrelated; 'ethic violation' is not idiomatic.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ethics violation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.