fall/run afoul of
idiom
chiefly US
: to get into trouble because of not obeying or following (the law, a rule, etc.)
After leaving home he fell afoul of the law.
an investor who has run afoul of stock market rules
Examples of fall/run afoul of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, the continued practice of using federal funds for pregnancy centers in Missouri could run afoul of new federal guidelines.
—
Anna Sago, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2024
Big European banks and other financial institutions did not want to take the enormous financial risk of re-entering business agreements that could later run afoul of new sanctions, especially if relations with the West soured again.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 20 May 2024
State lawmakers are considering increasing penalties for cities that run afoul of state housing laws.
—Michael Slaten, Orange County Register, 16 May 2024
More than 135 years later, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, is warning university presidents that pro-Palestine protesters could run afoul of that same obscure law, turning minor trespassing violations into career-altering felonies.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 15 May 2024
If convicted, Cosmos will be put to death, a very real fate for both wild and companion animals who run afoul of human rules — and one of the more acute aspects of the fraught animal-human relationship.
—Shannon L. Bowen, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
Her purchase, the company said, might run afoul of a new Florida law that prohibits many Chinese citizens from buying property in the state, especially near military installations, airports or refineries.
—Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, 6 May 2024
Biden administration regulators have a number of high-profile cases winding through the courts that will test whether their efforts to toughen up scrutiny of M&A activity will run afoul of case law.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
The lawyer and human rights activist Arnon Nampa is serving two consecutive four-year terms for speech acts that ostensibly fall afoul of the law.
—Paul Kreitman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Anna Sago, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2024
Big European banks and other financial institutions did not want to take the enormous financial risk of re-entering business agreements that could later run afoul of new sanctions, especially if relations with the West soured again.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 20 May 2024
State lawmakers are considering increasing penalties for cities that run afoul of state housing laws.
—Michael Slaten, Orange County Register, 16 May 2024
More than 135 years later, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, is warning university presidents that pro-Palestine protesters could run afoul of that same obscure law, turning minor trespassing violations into career-altering felonies.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 15 May 2024
If convicted, Cosmos will be put to death, a very real fate for both wild and companion animals who run afoul of human rules — and one of the more acute aspects of the fraught animal-human relationship.
—Shannon L. Bowen, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
Her purchase, the company said, might run afoul of a new Florida law that prohibits many Chinese citizens from buying property in the state, especially near military installations, airports or refineries.
—Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, 6 May 2024
Biden administration regulators have a number of high-profile cases winding through the courts that will test whether their efforts to toughen up scrutiny of M&A activity will run afoul of case law.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
The lawyer and human rights activist Arnon Nampa is serving two consecutive four-year terms for speech acts that ostensibly fall afoul of the law.
—Paul Kreitman, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fall/run afoul of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Fall/run afoul of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%2Frun%20afoul%20of. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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