law

[ law ]

/ lɔ /

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noun

the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decision.

any written or positive rule or collection of rules prescribed under the authority of the state or nation, as by the people in its constitution.Compare bylaw, statutory law.

the controlling influence of such rules; the condition of society brought about by their observance: maintaining law and order.

a system or collection of such rules.

the department of knowledge concerned with these rules; jurisprudence: to study law.

the body of such rules concerned with a particular subject or derived from a particular source: commercial law.

an act of the supreme legislative body of a state or nation, as distinguished from the constitution.

the principles applied in the courts of common law, as distinguished from equity.

the profession that deals with law and legal procedure: to practice law.

legal action; litigation: to go to law.

a person, group, or agency acting officially to enforce the law: The law arrived at the scene soon after the alarm went off.

any rule or injunction that must be obeyed: Having a nourishing breakfast was an absolute law in our household.

a rule or principle of proper conduct sanctioned by conscience, concepts of natural justice, or the will of a deity: a moral law.

a rule or manner of behavior that is instinctive or spontaneous: the law of self-preservation.

(in philosophy, science, etc.)

a statement of a relation or sequence of phenomena invariable under the same conditions.
a mathematical rule.

a principle based on the predictable consequences of an act, condition, etc.: the law of supply and demand.

a rule, principle, or convention regarded as governing the structure or the relationship of an element in the structure of something, as of a language or work of art: the laws of playwriting;the laws of grammar.

a commandment or a revelation from God.

Sometimes Law . a divinely appointed order or system.

the Law. Law of Moses.

the preceptive part of the Bible, especially of the New Testament, in contradistinction to its promises: the law of Christ.

British Sports. an allowance of time or distance given a quarry or competitor in a race, as the head start given a fox before the hounds are set after it.

verb (used with object)

Chiefly Dialect. to sue or prosecute.

British. (formerly) to expeditate (an animal).

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Idioms about law

at law. See entry at at law.

be a law to / unto oneself, to follow one's own inclinations, rules of behavior, etc.; act independently or unconventionally, especially without regard for established mores.

lay down the law,

to state one's views authoritatively.
to give a command in an imperious manner: The manager laid down the law to the workers.

take the law into one's own hands, to administer justice as one sees fit without recourse to the usual law enforcement or legal processes: The townspeople took the law into their own hands before the sheriff took action.

Origin of law

First recorded before 1000; Middle English law(e), lagh(e), Old English lagu, from unattested Old Norse lagu, early plural of lag “layer, stratum, a laying in order, fixed tune, (in collective sense) law”; akin to lay¹, lie²

synonym study for law

See theory.

OTHER WORDS FROM law

law·like, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH law

law , hypothesis, theory (see synonym study at theory)

Words nearby law

lavish, lavishly, Lavoisier, Lavoisier, Antoine, lavolta, law, law-abiding, law agent, law and order, lawbook, lawbreaker

Other definitions for law (2 of 5)

law²

[ law ]

/ lɔ /

adjective, adverb, noun Obsolete.

an obsolete variant of low¹.

Other definitions for law (3 of 5)

law³

[ law ]

/ lɔ /

verb (used with or without object), noun Obsolete.

an obsolete variant of low².

Other definitions for law (4 of 5)

law⁴

[ law ]

/ lɔ /

interjection Older Use.

(used as an exclamation expressing astonishment.)

Origin of law

⁴

First recorded in 1580–90; form of lord

Other definitions for law (5 of 5)

Law

[ law ]

/ lɔ /

noun

Andrew Bon·ar

[bon-er], /ˈbɒn ər/, 1858–1923, English statesman, born in Canada: prime minister 1922–23.

John, 1671–1729, Scottish financier.

William, 1686–1761, English clergyman and devotional writer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT LAW

What is law?

A law is a rule made by an authority and that must be obeyed.

A law is commonly made by a government, which citizens must follow or face punishment. For example, in most places there are laws about not stealing. If you are caught stealing, you could be fined or put in jail, depending on the law broken and the punishment set up for that law.

Law can be used more broadly to refer to a set of laws, such as all of a nation’s laws. To say murder is against the law is to say that murder is not allowed in the geographic area being referred to, such as a state or country.

Law can also be used to describe the legal field, especially as a career, as in Zola had always dreamed of a career in law, so she studied hard in law school.

In the sciences, a law is an indisputable fact about the way the world and the forces in it work. Such laws explain what happens but do not describe why it happens.

Example: I believe it is against the law to set up security cameras without posting a sign on the door.

Where does law come from?

The first records of the term law come from before the 1000s. It is believed to come from the Old Norse lag, meaning “laying order” or “fixed tune.” A law is established to keep members of a community in order and fixed to a specific way of life that promotes peace or discourages violence.

Although law generally refers to a rule made by a government, it can also be used to refer to any strong rule made by an authority that must be followed. For example, your parents’ house rules might be described as laws if they must be strictly followed. As well, a behavior a person might do instinctively or spontaneously might also be called a law. For example, trying to save your life when you are in danger might be described as the law of self-preservation.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to law?

lawless (adjective)
lawful (adjective)
lawlike (adjective)

What are some synonyms for law?

What are some words that share a root or word element with law?

What are some words that often get used in discussing law?

How is law used in real life?

Because laws are important to a well-run society, law is commonly used in everyday speech.

You ever be killin it in an argument and then just sit back and be like…wow…I really should pursue a career in law.

— Zendaya (@Zendaya) January 19, 2018

BREAKING: Gov. Newsom signs law allowing inmate firefighters in California to have records expunged, clearing the way for them to become professional firefighters once they are released from prison.

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) September 11, 2020

Weird law: Flushing the loo after 10pm in an apt building is illegal in Switzerland. The Government consider it noise pollution. (Too much)

— Gobinath Chandran (@Gobinath_C) October 4, 2017

Try using law!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym for law?

A. act
B. decree
C. order
D. suggestion

How to use law in a sentence

In Wisconsin, the Green Party effort to get on the ballot was boosted by help from some Republicans and a prominent law firm that does work for the GOP.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court strikes Green Party presidential ticket from ballot, clearing the way for mail ballots to be sent out|Amy Gardner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
Most recently, he took a big shot at the traditional legal industry with Atrium, a law firm and legal software startup that raised big rounds of funding before shuttering earlier this year.
With Goat Capital, Justin Kan and Robin Chan want to keep founding alongside the right teams|Eric Eldon|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
Fischer stressed that these updates, together with Breonna’s Law, are “substantial” and create a new level of scrutiny for obtaining search warrants.
The policing reforms in the Breonna Taylor settlement, explained|Fabiola Cineas|September 17, 2020|Vox
Last October, President Jair Bolsonaro signed a law compelling federal bodies to share most of the data they hold on Brazilian citizens and consolidate it in a vast, centralized database.
Podcast: COVID-19 is helping turn Brazil into a surveillance state|Anthony Green|September 16, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Quinn has worked as an elections official in Virginia with von Spakovsky and has co-taught a law school course with him.
No Democrats Allowed: A Conservative Lawyer Holds Secret Voter Fraud Meetings With State Election Officials|by Mike Spies, Jake Pearson and Jessica Huseman|September 15, 2020|ProPublica
Unless there is a court decision that changes our law, we are OK.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Submission is set in a France seven years from now that is dominated by a Muslim president intent on imposing Islamic law.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A few days later, Bush replied, “We will uphold the law in Florida.”
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
To those who agreed with him, Bush pledged that the law against same-sex marriage would remain intact.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In Israel, however, a new law took effect January 1st that banned the use of underweight models.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We should have to admit that the new law does little or nothing to relieve such a situation.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
He that seeketh the law, shall be filled with it: and he that dealeth deceitfully, shall meet with a stumblingblock therein.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
To Harrison and his wife there was no distinction between the executive and judicial branches of the law.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Now this setting up of an orderly law-abiding self seems to me to imply that there are impulses which make for order.
Children's Ways|James Sully
These schools became affiliated Universities, but never equalled the Law University in importance.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor

British Dictionary definitions for law (1 of 4)

law¹

/ (lɔː) /

noun

a rule or set of rules, enforceable by the courts, regulating the government of a state, the relationship between the organs of government and the subjects of the state, and the relationship or conduct of subjects towards each other

a rule or body of rules made by the legislatureSee statute law
a rule or body of rules made by a municipal or other authoritySee bylaw

the condition and control enforced by such rules
(in combination)lawcourt

a rule of conducta law of etiquette

one of a set of rules governing a particular field of activitythe laws of tennis

the law

the legal or judicial system
the profession or practice of law
informal the police or a policeman

a binding force or statementhis word is law

Also called: law of nature a generalization based on a recurring fact or event

the science or knowledge of law; jurisprudence

the principles originating and formerly applied only in courts of common lawCompare equity (def. 3)

a general principle, formula, or rule describing a phenomenon in mathematics, science, philosophy, etcthe laws of thermodynamics

the Law (capital) Judaism

short for Law of Moses
the English term for Torah See also Oral Law, Written Law

a law unto itself or a law unto himself a person or thing that is outside established laws

go to law to resort to legal proceedings on some matter

lay down the law to speak in an authoritative or dogmatic manner

reading the Law or reading of the Law Judaism that part of the morning service on Sabbaths, festivals, and Mondays and Thursdays during which a passage is read from the Torah scrolls

take the law into one's own hands to ignore or bypass the law when redressing a grievance

Other words from law

Related adjectives: judicial, jural, juridical, legal

Word Origin for law

Old English lagu, from Scandinavian; compare Icelandic lög (pl) things laid down, law

British Dictionary definitions for law (2 of 4)

law²

/ (lɔː) /

noun

Scot a hill, esp one rounded in shape

Word Origin for law

Old English hlǣw

British Dictionary definitions for law (3 of 4)

law³

/ (lɔː) /

adjective

a Scot word for low 1

British Dictionary definitions for law (4 of 4)

Law

/ (lɔː) /

noun

Andrew Bonar (ˈbɒnə). 1858–1923, British Conservative statesman, born in Canada; prime minister (1922–23)

Denis. born 1940, Scottish footballer; a striker, he played for Manchester United (1962–73) and Scotland (30 goals in 55 games, 1958–74); European Footballer of the Year (1964)

John. 1671–1729, Scottish financier. He founded the first bank in France (1716) and the Mississippi Scheme for the development of Louisiana (1717), which collapsed due to excessive speculation

Jude . born 1972, British film actor, who starred in The Talented Mr Ripley (1999), Cold Mountain (2003), and Sherlock Holmes (2009)

William. 1686–1761, British Anglican divine, best known for A Serious Call to a Holy and Devout Life (1728)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for law

law

[ lô ]

A statement that describes invariable relationships among phenomena under a specified set of conditions. Boyle's law, for instance, describes what will happen to the volume of an ideal gas if its pressure changes and its temperature remains the same. The conditions under which some physical laws hold are idealized (for example, there are no ideal gases in the real world), thus some physical laws apply universally but only approximately. See Note at hypothesis.

Other Idioms and Phrases with law

law

In addition to the idioms beginning with law

law and order
law of averages
law of the jungle
law unto oneself

also see:

above suspicion (the law)
lay down the law
letter of the law
long arm of the law
Murphy's law
possession is nine points of the law
take the law into one's hands
unwritten law

law

Idioms about law

Origin of law

synonym study for law

OTHER WORDS FROM law

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH law

Words nearby law

Other definitions for law (2 of 5)

Other definitions for law (3 of 5)

Other definitions for law (4 of 5)

Origin of law

Other definitions for law (5 of 5)

MORE ABOUT LAW

What is law?

Where does law come from?

Did you know … ?

How is law used in real life?

Try using law!

Words related to law

How to use law in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for law (1 of 4)

Other words from law

Word Origin for law

British Dictionary definitions for law (2 of 4)

Word Origin for law

British Dictionary definitions for law (3 of 4)

British Dictionary definitions for law (4 of 4)

Scientific definitions for law

Other Idioms and Phrases with law