Infraction

//ɪnˈfɹækʃən// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A minor offence, petty crime.

    "Even stealing a pack of gum is an infraction in the eyes of the law."

  2. 2
    a crime less serious than a felony wordnet
  3. 3
    A violation; breach.

    "A team's first infraction could mean a fine of up to $25,000."

  4. 4
    A major violation of rules which leads to a penalty, if detected by the referee.

Example

More examples

"Even stealing a pack of gum is an infraction in the eyes of the law."

Etymology

From Middle French infraction, from Latin infractio, from infractum, past participle of infringere, from in (“in”) + frangere (“to break”).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.