Law Police Rule People Lɔː Building Order Entered

• if they entered the building they would be breaking the law.
• in sweden it is against the law to hit a child.
• defence attorneys can use any means within the law to get their client off.
• british schools are now required by law to publish their exam results.

law

1. the whole system of rules that everyone in a country or society must obey
• If they entered the building they would be breaking the law.
• In Sweden it is against the law to hit a child.
• Defence attorneys can use any means within the law to get their client off.
• British schools are now required by law to publish their exam results.
• The reforms have recently become law.
• Do not think you are above the law (= think that you cannot be punished by the law).
• the need for better law enforcement
• Kate's word was law in the Brown household.
2. a particular branch of the law
• see also canon law
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/canon-law
• company/international/tax, etc. law
3. a rule that deals with a particular crime, agreement, etc.
• see also by-law
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/by-law
• the 1996 law against the hiring of illegal immigrants
• The government has introduced some tough new laws on food hygiene.
• strict gun laws
• a federal/state law
• to pass a law (= officially make it part of the system of laws)
• There ought to be a law against it!
4. the study of the law as a subject at university, etc.; the profession of being a lawyer
• Jane is studying law.
• He's in law school.
• He's at law school.
• What made you go into law?
• a law firm
5. used to refer to the police and the legal system
• Jim is always getting into trouble with the law.
• She was well known for her brushes with the law.
6. one of the rules which controls an organization or activity
• the laws of the Church
• The first law of kung fu is to defend yourself.
• the laws of cricket
• the laws of war
7. a rule for good behaviour or how you should behave in a particular place or situation
• moral laws
• the unspoken laws of the street
8. the fact that something always happens in the same way in an activity or in nature
• synonym principle
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/principle
• the laws of supply and demand
• the law of gravity
9. a scientific rule that somebody has stated to explain a natural process
• the first law of thermodynamics
10. to behave in an independent way and ignore rules or what other people want you to do
• Boys of that age are a law unto themselves.
11. to ask a court to settle a problem or disagreement
• They went to law to get back their property.
12. a situation in which people obey the law and behave in a peaceful way
• The government struggled to maintain law and order.
• After the riots, the military was brought in to restore law and order.
• They claim to be the party of law and order.
13. the principle that one thing will happen as often as another if you try enough times
• Keep applying and by the law of averages you'll get a job sooner or later.
14. a situation in which people are prepared to harm other people in order to succeed
• These criminal gangs only recognize the law of the jungle.
15. to tell somebody with force what they should or should not do
• My dad started laying down the law about what time I should come home.
16. the exact words of a law or rule rather than its general meaning
• They insist on sticking to the letter of the law.
• We might be guilty of slightly bending the letter of the law.
17. in trouble with the police
18. if you already have or control something, it is difficult for somebody else to take it away from you, even if they have the legal right to it
19. the condition in which all members of society, including its rulers, accept the authority of the law
• Democracy and the rule of law are yet to be firmly established in the country.
20. to do something illegal in order to punish somebody for doing something wrong, instead of letting the police deal with them
• After a series of burglaries in the area, the police are worried that residents might take the law into their own hands.
21. used to tell somebody who is criticizing you that you are not doing anything wrong
• I'll sing if I want to—there's no law against it.

Extra Examples

• A presidential veto prevented the bill from becoming law.
• As the law stands, you can get married at sixteen.
• As the law stands, you can get married while still too young to have a driving licence.
• By law, you are obliged to install smoke alarms in the factory.
• Congress amended the law in 1998.
• Environmental laws are strict about polluting precious water.
• In spite of the difficulties it would cause her family, the judge stuck to the letter of the law and jailed her.
• It’s the job of the police to enforce the law.
• Judges interpret this law in different ways.
• Laws criminalizing same-sex relationships were ruled unconstitutional.
• Martial law was imposed to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
• No one is above the law.
• Parliament voted for the bill to become law.
• She lost her job at a Boston law office.
• She’s at law school.
• The building was raided by law enforcement agents.
• The company is operating entirely within the law.
• The law applies equally to businesses large and small.
• The law forbids gambling of any kind.
• The law is clear: bribery is wrong.
• The wearing of a crash helmet is required by law.
• We believe this law is unconstitutional.
• What you did was clearly against the law.
• When police failed to arrest the suspect, local people took the law into their own hands and beat him up.
• a law limiting the hours of work to ten hours per day
• a law recognizing civil unions for same-sex couples
• a local law against keeping horses
• a room filled with law books
• individuals who are acting beyond the law
• rebels who live outside the law
• the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became the law of the land on July 2, 1964.
• the broader implications of copyright law reform
• the law concerning industrial action ballots
• the law governing school attendance
• the law relating to the sale of goods
• the laws regarding child actors
• the laws regulating firearms
• the legislators who drafted the law
• the passage of a restrictive immigration law in 1924
• Do you remember anything about Ohm’s Law?
• He frequently behaved as though moral laws did not exist.
• He specializes in international law.
• He was charged under the 1996 law against hiring illegal immigrants.
• If they entered the building they would be breaking the law.
• The country has very strict gun laws.
• The reforms have recently become law.
• The usual laws of supply and demand do not seem to apply in this case.
• Their world is shaped by their parents’ attitudes and the unspoken law of the street.
• Who first defined the law of gravity?

Word Origin

• Old English lagu, from Old Norse lag ‘something laid down or fixed’, of Germanic origin and related to lay (verb).