letter of the law

Idioms  

1. The precise wording rather than the spirit or intent. For example, Since it was the first time he'd broken the rules, the school decided to ignore the letter of the law and just give him a warning. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

letter of the law

The real plaintiff goal is to loot Bayer, no matter the plain letter of the law.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

The other two are important, sure, especially for not rocking the familial boat, but everyone should abide by the letter of the law.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

But speaking to CBS programme Face the Nation on Sunday, Massie suggested that the justice department was "flouting the spirit and the letter of the law".

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025

“Agencies owe a duty to the public to be more proactive and more transparent, even than the bare minimum letter of the law might allow them to get away with,” Loy said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025

He was a man of high professional standards, a careful and deliberate, exacting judge who held himself to the letter of the law, however soporifically.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson