transgress
verb
trans·gress
tran(t)s-ˈgres 
tranz-
transgressed; transgressing; transgresses
1
: to go beyond limits set or prescribed by : violate
transgress divine law
2
: to pass beyond or go over (a limit or boundary)
Examples of transgress in a Sentence
He who transgresses must seek forgiveness.
There are legal consequences for companies that transgress the rules.
Recent Examples on the Web
The holiday is a celebration of subtle LGBTQ+ drama, pleasure and the past transgressed by costumes painstakingly crafted by their creators.
—
Lydia Patrick, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Both pay a price for transgressing the boundaries of what’s deemed acceptable for young white women negotiating the new freedoms of mobility and modernity.
—Elizabeth Friend, Longreads, 29 Oct. 2024
Moreover, there was the nagging question of whether the tournament would transgress the NCAA’s increasingly fuzzy, but still formal, prohibition against paying athletes to play.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2024
Antidemocratic rhetoric transgresses long-standing norms both of political tolerance and of constitutional limits on power.
—Christopher Miller, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for transgress 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lydia Patrick, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Both pay a price for transgressing the boundaries of what’s deemed acceptable for young white women negotiating the new freedoms of mobility and modernity.
—Elizabeth Friend, Longreads, 29 Oct. 2024
Moreover, there was the nagging question of whether the tournament would transgress the NCAA’s increasingly fuzzy, but still formal, prohibition against paying athletes to play.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2024
Antidemocratic rhetoric transgresses long-standing norms both of political tolerance and of constitutional limits on power.
—Christopher Miller, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for transgress
Dictionary Entries Near transgress
Cite this Entry
“Transgress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transgress. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
transgress
verb
trans·gress
tran(t)s-ˈgres
tranz-
1
: to go beyond limits set by : violate
transgress divine law
2
: to pass beyond or go over a limit or boundary
3
: to violate a command or law
Etymology
from early French transgresser "to transgress," from Latin transgressus, past participle of transgredi "to step across or beyond," from trans- "across, beyond" and gradi "to step"
Legal Definition
transgress
transitive verb
trans·gress
tranz-ˈgres, trans-
1
: to go beyond limits set or prescribed by : violate
2
: to pass beyond or go over (a limit or boundary)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share