bylaw
Americannoun
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a standing rule governing the regulation of a corporation's or society's internal affairs.
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a subsidiary law.
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British. an ordinance of a municipality or community.
noun
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a rule made by a local authority for the regulation of its affairs or management of the area it governs
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a regulation of a company, society, etc
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a subsidiary law
Etymology
Origin of bylaw
First recorded in 1325–75; by- + law 1; replacing Middle English bilawe, equivalent to by “town” (from Scandinavian; compare Danish by ) + lawe “law”
Explanation
A bylaw is a rule that a group or company sets up, one that all members or employees are meant to follow. The bylaws of your school's student council might stipulate that all student council officers have to be in good academic standing. In Britain and some other countries, a bylaw is a local law, rather than a national one: "The city's bylaws don't allow me to sell my artwork without a special permit." In the U.S., bylaws apply to organizations rather than cities, towns, or states. A club's bylaws, for example, might state that each member has to pay a small membership fee. Bylaw is rooted in the Old Norse bi-lagu, "town law."
Vocabulary lists containing bylaw
Economics
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"Efrén Divided" by Ernesto Cisneros, Chapters 1–5
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The Great Greene Heist
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Though a town body approved the expansion last March, a Nantucket bylaw requires residents to approve use of town-owned land for erosion-control projects at the annual Town Meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
It comes as part of new amendments to a bylaw under the NSL that the government gazetted on Monday.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
Five City Section teams in the playoffs have had to forfeit games because players participated in outside leagues during their high school season in violation of CIF bylaw 600.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
The next town over, Pittsfield, passed a bylaw outlawing baseball to protect the windows of its meetinghouse—all the way back in 1791.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025
It breaks every bylaw but this school has always been antiquated.
From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
