afoul of
preposition
1
: in or into conflict with
ran afoul of the law
2
: in or into collision or entanglement with
Examples of afoul of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That raises the risk of service interruptions for companies that run afoul of US government requests.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 19 June 2026
The groups argued that the site of the garden runs afoul of federal laws and has not been authorized by Congress.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 17 June 2026
Here’s what crew members and frequent flyers want passengers to know about navigating bathrooms on airplanes without getting stuck in a line, blocking service or running afoul of the seat belt sign.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 June 2026
That exemption allows the major pro leagues to feature salary caps, luxury taxes, maximum salaries and other blatant restraints on earning opportunities that might run afoul of antitrust law since those rules are bargained with unions and thus exempt from antitrust scrutiny.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 June 2026
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Bloomberg, Mercury News, 19 June 2026
The groups argued that the site of the garden runs afoul of federal laws and has not been authorized by Congress.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 17 June 2026
Here’s what crew members and frequent flyers want passengers to know about navigating bathrooms on airplanes without getting stuck in a line, blocking service or running afoul of the seat belt sign.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 June 2026
That exemption allows the major pro leagues to feature salary caps, luxury taxes, maximum salaries and other blatant restraints on earning opportunities that might run afoul of antitrust law since those rules are bargained with unions and thus exempt from antitrust scrutiny.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for afoul of
Cite this Entry
“Afoul of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afoul%20of. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
afoul of
preposition1
: in or into collision or entanglement with
one ship ran afoul of the other
2
: in or into conflict with
they fell afoul of the law
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