Transgress — A Vocabulary Story
The Glow at Gardens by the Bay
Rajesh had promised his neighbour Andrea that he would behave on the school trip to Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. The Supertrees rose above them like metal giants stitched with ferns, and the evening lights were about to begin.
"Stay on the marked path," the guide reminded them. "Please do not transgress the rope barriers. The orchids are delicate."
Transgress means to go beyond or break a moral, legal, or social boundary.
Andrea nodded seriously. Rajesh, however, spotted a beetle the colour of polished copper crawling just beyond the rope.
"I only want a closer look," he whispered.
"If you transgress now, they'll send us back to the coach," Andrea hissed.
He hesitated. A security officer named Grace was watching from the bridge, arms folded. Rajesh had already been warned once that morning for trying to transgress the queue at the cable car.
Then the beetle flew, landing squarely on Andrea's shoulder. She squealed, stumbled, and her water bottle rolled under the rope into the flowerbed.
"Now what?" she groaned. "I can't transgress to fetch it. Grace will tell my mum."
Rajesh waved at the officer instead. Grace came over, lifted the rope herself, and retrieved the bottle with a small smile.
"Better to ask than to transgress," she said. "Most children just sneak under and snap a stem."
The Supertrees burst into violet light, and the music swelled across the gardens.
Word Definition
transgress
meaning
to go beyond or break a moral, legal, or social boundary
synonyms
violate · infringe · trespass · wander · break
antonyms
obey · justify · forgive
example sentence
He knew he would transgress against the rules if he spoke out of turn.