letter of the law
IdiomsExample 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 could have been a foul and arguably was by the letter of the law.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
Skeptics say the new rules illustrate the security risks inherent in approving the exports and that following them to the letter of the law might mean no shipments get approved.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
“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 wants to punish those who speak out against him, who present cases against him and who, in doing their jobs to the letter of the law, go against his wishes.
From Salon • Dec. 14, 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
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.
