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
Antislavery tribunals penalized these companies, which were analogues of modern corporations, for violating the law of nations.
From Slate • Dec. 1, 2020
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
But the general law of nations must only be invoked as supplementary to the special law recognised by the convention.
From The Oregon Territory Its History and Discovery by Twiss, Travers
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.