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Glite Dictionary
regulatory offense

regulatory offense

8.1
A crime made by law for breaking official rules like safety standards
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛɡjʊˌleɪtɔri əˈfɛns/
  • Formal
translation icon : infracción regulatoria
  • The company was fined for committing a regulatory offense related to environmental safety standards.

Examples

  • Yet, for certain crimes, such as illegal gambling, drug possession, and failure to obey traffic laws, as well as a myriad of other regulatory offenses, there is no readily identifiable direct victim to validate the application of victim-facing justifications.

    Academic text (2017)

  • To do otherwise would effectively eviscerate the regulatory power of government by rendering the enforcement of regulatory offenses impossible in practical terms.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Violating health regulations can lead to a regulatory offense that results in significant penalties.

  • Failing to report financial discrepancies to the authorities is considered a serious regulatory offense.

Synonyms

offense
vsregulatory offense
  • US
351 3.3

An act that breaks a law or rule

applies specifically to statute based violations of regulations rather than general wrongdoing
infraction
vsregulatory offense
47 7.2

A small break of a rule or law often punished with a fine

can involve breaches of regulations that may be more serious than minor violations
statutory offense
vsregulatory offense
  • Formal
7.7

A crime that a law makes illegal

focuses on violating regulations specifically rather than all statute-made crimes

Surface Forms

regulatory offense singular
regulatory offenses plural

Morphology

regulatory + offense

The meaning is directly compositional: 'regulatory' (relating to regulations) modifies 'offense' (a legal violation), so the phrase straightforwardly means a violation of regulations. This ADJ+NOUN pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically similar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Regulatory offense paints a simple picture: regulatory means the rules the government makes and an offense is breaking them. So a regulatory offense is breaking official 'rules' set by law, often punished by a fine and sometimes without needing proof of 'intent'.