lawfare

/ ˈlɔːˌfɛə /

noun

1. the use of the law by a country against its enemies, esp by challenging the legality of military or foreign policy

Word History and Origins

Origin of lawfare¹

C21: from _law + _warfare

Example Sentences

Former special counsel Jack Smith took to a London stage last week to provide a sublime if unwitting lesson in the two styles of lawfare now on display in our beleaguered justice system.

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And of course they’ve led to today’s descent into more lawfare.

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The country won’t move beyond lawfare until both sides appreciate its poison.

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Appeared in the October 17, 2025, print edition as 'St. Jack’s Gospel of Lawfare'.

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You laud the Roberts Court for reducing “the prospects of lawfare” against political opponents and limiting “the arbitrary power of the administrative state.”

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