statute

American  

[stach-oot, -oot] / ˈstætʃ ut, -ʊt /

noun

statutes plural

1. Law.

   1. an enactment made by a legislature and expressed in a formal document.

   2. the document in which such an enactment is expressed.

2. International Law. an instrument annexed or subsidiary to an international agreement, as a treaty.

3. a permanent rule established by an organization, corporation, etc., to govern its internal affairs.

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statute British  

/ ˈstætjuːt /

noun

1. 1. an enactment of a legislative body expressed in a formal document

   2. this document

2. a permanent rule made by a body or institution for the government of its internal affairs

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• statutes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of statute

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English statut, from Old French estatut, from Late Latin statūtum, noun use of neuter of Latin statūtus “made to stand,” past participle of statuere “to make stand, set up,” verb derivative of status status

Explanation

A statute is a formal law or rule. Whether it's enacted by a government, company, or other organization, a statute is typically written down. Local governments can pass all kinds of statutes, or written laws, to govern their citizens. A city's government might try to restrict the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public, or make it illegal to pet cats on the weekends. Of course, silly statutes like no cat-petting on weekends can be pretty hard to pass.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

statute statutes

Kavanaugh instead argued that it violated a separate federal statute.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

There is a statute of limitations on financial elder abuse.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Slaughter, the court held that the Constitution gives the president power to fire subordinate executive officers, which Congress can’t restrict by statute.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

The legal barrier Exxon faced was that it wasn’t clear that the 1996 statute allowed a plaintiff to sue companies like Cimex, since government-affiliated entities are generally protected by sovereign immunity.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

Ms. Gievers suggested that we file individual lawsuits on my behalf soon because of statute of limitations laws.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

The Bureau of Land Management said in its authorization that repurposing the pipeline for water “would comply with all applicable statutes and regulations.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

When the Defense Department designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk, the administration relied on statutes intended to prevent foreign adversaries from involvement in U.S. defense procurement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

“The president really only has authority through federal statutes that have already been passed,” Hasen said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Chevron, a Reagan-era ruling, held that judges were obligated to defer to executive agencies’ interpretations of “ambiguous” statutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Some states changed their statutes to create more hopeful sentences for child offenders.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• act
• bill
• decree
• edict
• measure
• regulation