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

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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

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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

Heyman repeatedly refused to specify what crime may have been committed, and under what statute the investigation had been launched.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

The department filed a long court brief defending its tactics, saying a law defining the statute of limitations for most felony crimes allows prosecutors to initiate a case by criminal information.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner told the BBC that the case may have exceeded the 10-year statute of limitations, giving the motion to dismiss the charges "a very good chance of being granted".

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

Reiner’s legal team has argued the statute doesn’t apply because he hasn’t been convicted.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

And in the winter, which was confined by statute to two months, the snow lay evenly, three feet thick, but never turned into slush.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

A child protection bill was introduced in 2021 amending multiple statutes with the stated aim of cracking down on paedophilia.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

At that point Ceferin, who was initially elected in 2016, was embroiled in a row over Uefa changing its statutes to allow him to serve for a fourth term.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

For decades, presidents and Congress have pursued climate policy through federal statutes, diplomacy and international agreements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

If you look at the terms of these old statutes, for years the court was reading them literally and saying: You’ve got a lot of space here.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

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

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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Related Words

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

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