to violate a law, command, moral code, etc.; offend; sin.
verb (used with object)
2.
to pass over or go beyond (a limit, boundary, etc.):
to transgress bounds of prudence.
3.
to go beyond the limits imposed by (a law, command, etc.); violate; infringe:
to transgress the will of God.
Origin
1520-30; < Latintrānsgressus (past participle of trānsgredī to step across), equivalent to trāns-trans- + -gred- (combining form of gradī to step; see grade) + -tus past participle suffix, with dt > ss
Related forms
transgressive, adjective
transgressively, adverb
transgressor, noun
nontransgressive, adjective
nontransgressively, adverb
untransgressed, adjective
Synonyms
1. err, trespass. 3. contravene, disobey.
Antonyms
3. obey.
Examples from the web for transgress
Come to understand your limitations, and transgress them.
Beaches transgress, or move landward, in response to sea-level rise.
British Dictionary definitions for transgress
transgress
/trænzˈɡrɛs/
verb
1.
to break (a law, rule, etc)
2.
to go beyond or overstep (a limit)
Derived Forms
transgressor, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Latin transgredī, from trans- + gradī to step
Word Origin and History for transgress
v.
late 15c., from Middle French transgresser (14c.), from Latin transgressus, past participle of transgredi "to step across" (see transgression). Related: Transgressed; transgressing.