infringe

/ɪnˈfrɪndʒ/

/ɪnˈfrɪndʒ/

Other forms: infringed; infringing; infringes

When you infringe on someone's space, time, or rights, you're getting involved in a way that is not cool. That's why, when you violate a copyright, you're said to infringe upon it.

Infringe is almost always used with the prepositions "on" or "upon," as in, "if you infringe on my rights, I'll sue you." Nobody knows why that's the case. Our language is full of rules and traditions that just are the way they are. We call these phrases "idiomatic." To infringe "on" or "upon" something is one of those. You don't infringe "into" someone's conversation. You infringe "upon" it. Case closed.

Definitions of infringe

1. verb

   advance beyond the usual limit
   synonyms: encroach, impinge

   type of:

   advance, go on, march on, move on, pass on, progress

   move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
2. verb

   go against, as of rules and laws
   synonyms: conflict, contravene, run afoul

   type of:

   breach, break, go against, infract, offend, transgress, violate

   act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises