Meaning & use
violation of law
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraselegalformal
An act that breaks a legal rule or statute.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; often appears after 'a' or 'any' in formal contexts.
Patterns
- a violation of law
- any violation of law
- commit a violation of law
The company was fined for a serious violation of law.
Any violation of law will be dealt with by the courts.
The report documented several violations of law by government officials.
Common combinations
- serious violation of law
- The judge called it a serious violation of law.
- clear violation of law
- The action was a clear violation of law.
- violation of law and order
- The protests were criticized as a violation of law and order.
Synonyms and how they differ
- breach of law
- More formal and often used in legal documents; 'violation of law' is slightly more common in general formal writing.
- infraction
- Usually refers to a minor breaking of a rule; 'violation of law' can be minor or serious.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: violation of law or violation of the law?
violation of law vs violation of the law
The version with 'the' is more common in everyday English; 'violation of law' without 'the' sounds more legalistic.
Practice
The contract was canceled because of a clear ___ of law.
Choose one answer.
'Violation' is the noun needed after 'a clear'. 'Violate' is a verb, 'violating' is a participle, and 'violator' means a person, so none fit grammatically.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “violation of law”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.