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violar

to violate, to rape

verb byoh-LAHR Less Common
People & Society Law

Origin: From Latin violare (to treat with violence).

Also means

to break (a law or rule)

Usage Note

Violar covers both the legal sense of breaching a law (violar un acuerdo) and the criminal sense of sexual assault. Context disambiguates, but writers should be aware of the weight of the word. The noun is violación; the agent noun is violador/a. A related but distinct word is violentar ('to force open, to do violence to').

Examples

"No se puede violar la ley sin consecuencias."

Natural Translation

You cannot break the law without consequences.

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