law of nations
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of law of nations
First recorded in 1540–50
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.
With such customs, it is contrary to the law of nations that a city incapable of repelling their attack should stop their progress.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
The law of nations, as customary international law used to be known, is referenced in the Constitution.
From Slate • Aug. 10, 2018
The statute allows federal courts to hear “any civil action by an alien for a tort only, committed in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States.”
From Washington Post • Oct. 11, 2017
The law of nations demanded it, he said.
From Salon • Jul. 11, 2015
The law of war can no more wholly dispense with retaliation than can the law of nations, of which it is a branch; yet civilized nations acknowledge retaliation as the sternest feature of war.
From Martyria or Andersonville Prison by Hamlin, Augustus C.
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.
