law-abiding
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- law-abidingness noun
Etymology
Origin of law-abiding
First recorded in 1830–40
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.
It was “free money” for law-abiding, tax-paying U.S. citizens.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
“Full participation in commerce and public life necessarily requires that law-abiding individuals can access, and freely participate in, our financial system,” he wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
And hundreds of thousands of law-abiding noncitizens will remain protected from deportation in the meantime.
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026
“For decades he lived a law-abiding life, raising his children and working in various cultural arenas,” they wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
“The law-abiding citizens of the West Side have shut their windows against you. If your cause has any merit, why do no people of worth stand with you?”
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
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.
