infringein‧fringe /ɪnˈfrɪndʒ/ ●○○ verb [transitive] 
Word Origin Examples
A backup copy of a computer program does not infringe copyright.—infringement noun [countable, uncountable]: the infringement of human rightsinfringe on/upon something phrasal verb to limit someone’s freedom in some way: Some students argued that the rule infringed on their right to free speech.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINinfringe
Verb TableOrigin:
1500-1600 Latin infringere, from frangere ‘to break’VERB TABLE
infringe
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | infringe |
| he, she, it | infringes | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | infringed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have infringed |
| he, she, it | has infringed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had infringed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will infringe |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have infringed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am infringing |
| he, she, it | is infringing | |
| you, we, they | are infringing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was infringing |
| you, we, they | were infringing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been infringing |
| he, she, it | has been infringing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been infringing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be infringing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been infringing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Arrangements for widow's pensions infringed laws on equal pay and treatment.
- If a teacher makes copies of software for students, he or she is infringing copyright.
- The court ruled that he had infringed the company's patent.
Longman Language Activatorto do something that is illegal► break the law
Collocations · If you break the law, you must expect to be punished.· You're breaking the law if you drive without wearing a seat belt.· In many cases, people who have been released from prison will break the law again.
► commit: commit a crime/an offence/burglary/murder etc to do something that is a crime, or that is a particular type of crime: · Detectives believe that the crime was committed at around 7.30 pm.· Most violent crimes are committed by young men under the age of 25.· She later claimed that she did not realize she was committing an offense.
► contravene if something a company or government does contravenes a particular law, it breaks that law, especially unintentionally - used especially in legal or official contexts: · Penalties for contravening the laws on food hygiene have been increased.· Any interference in one country's domestic affairs by another country contravenes the UN charter.
► break the rules to do something that is not allowed by the rules of an organization, game etc: · Any student caught breaking the school rules was immediately sent to the Principal.break the rules on: · Athletes can be fined thousands of dollars for breaking the rules on steroid use.
► infringe to break a law, especially one that protects someone's rights: · If a teacher makes copies of software for students, he or she is infringing copyright.· Arrangements for widow's pensions infringed laws on equal pay and treatment.
an illegal action► offence British /offense American an illegal action for which you can be punished: · Travelling on the train without a ticket is an offence.it is an offence (for somebody) to do something: · It is an offence for a shopkeeper to sell alcohol to anyone under 18.commit an offence (=do something illegal): · Davies claimed that he did not know he was committing an offence by accessing the website.criminal offence: · Driving when drunk is a criminal offence.serious offence: · The number of women convicted of serious offences is still relatively small.minor offence (=not serious): · Motorists can be fined on the spot for minor offences, such as speeding.
► infringement an illegal action, especially one that breaks a law that protects someone's rights: infringement of: · The new rule was regarded as an infringement of the free-speech rights of government employees.· an infringement of Article 86 of the Treaty of Rome
► violation an action that breaks a law or agreement, especially one that has been agreed by several different countries - use this about a serious illegal action: violation of: · Any further fighting will be seen as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.flagrant/blatant violation of something (=one that is done without any attempt to hide it): · The United Nations described the invasion as 'a flagrant violation of international law'.gross violation of something (=a very serious violation): · The way they treat women there represents a gross violation of human rights.in violation of something: · The UK government was found to be in violation of the European Convention.
► breach something that a company or government does that breaks a particular law, especially when they do not do it intentionally: breach of: · This is a clear breach of the 1994 Trade Agreement.breach of contract: · Workers who have lost their jobs plan to sue the company for breach of contract.be in breach of something: · In future, six-monthly accounts will be required from those firms that are in breach of the rules.
► contravention formal something a business, organization, or government does that breaks a particular law or part of an official agreement: in contravention of something: · Many shops and bars stayed open, in contravention of the Sunday trading laws.contravention of: · It was a clear contravention of EU regulations.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► infringe on/restrict somebody's liberty
to do something that is against a law or someone’s legal rights: (=limit someone's liberty)· Will the new security measures infringe on our liberty?
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN► copyright· It was held that the defendant had infringed copyright by copying the two-line moving cursor menu.· A literal copy of a computer program infringes copyright if made without the consent of the copyright owner.
► patent· At about the time of the exhibition, it emerged that the firm was infringing the Medlock patent.· D infringes the patent for the computer chips, regardless of knowledge.· The Heinen letter claims' Latitude appears to specifically infringe Apple's patents and copyrights.· It has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft stating that it has infringed two Stac patents.
► right· It gained the right from the emperor in 1116 to keep half the fine for infringing imperial rights.· The action stems from a letter Apple sent Quorum lawyers on March 17 accusing it of infringing its intellectual property rights.· It suggested that second marriages would substantially infringe the rights of inheritance of the members of the first family.· Yet before we can even consider infringing the rights of people, we have to make strong moral justifications.· It was made clear that the treaty did not infringe the rights and sovereignty of individual Soviet republics.· He agreed the team had infringed the defendants' rights when they wrote a book on the case.· The position may be clearer if the treaty infringes the legal rights of a third State.· It infringes the rights of the individual.
► sovereignty· It was made clear that the treaty did not infringe the rights and sovereignty of individual Soviet republics.
A backup copy of a computer program does not infringe copyright.—infringement noun [countable, uncountable]: the infringement of human rightsinfringe on/upon something phrasal verb to limit someone’s freedom in some way: Some students argued that the rule infringed on their right to free speech.