violating

Violating is the present participle of the verb violate. It denotes the act of breaking or disregarding a rule, law, contract, or standard. The noun form is violation; the past tense is violated.

In legal and regulatory contexts, a party violates a law or regulation when their actions contravene it. Violations may be criminal (punishable by penalties including fines or imprisonment) or civil/administrative (leading to damages, injunctions, or corrective actions).

Common examples include copyright or trademark violations, privacy violations, environmental violations, workplace-safety violations, and contractual violations. Enforcement is carried out by police, prosecutors, regulatory agencies, or courts, depending on jurisdiction and the nature of the violation.

Usage notes: violate is broader than infringe or breach but overlaps in meaning. The phrase in violation of is standard in legal writing. Violating can describe ongoing conduct, as in "the policy is being violated," or can modify nouns as a participle, as in "violating conduct." The term is frequently used across legal, regulatory, and everyday contexts to describe noncompliance or breaches of established standards.