fall foul of

idiom

: to get into trouble because of failing to do what is required by (the law, a rule, etc.)

After leaving school she fell foul of the law and spent time in jail.

companies that fall foul of labor laws

Examples of fall foul of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But after this week, Kate and William, the Prince of Wales, will be eager not to fall foul of the traditional media’s (not always infallible) rules on accuracy, Barnett said. —Alexander Smith, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024

Now the world is waiting to see which giant will be first to fall foul of the law. —Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 8 Mar. 2024

Apple’s terms for developers who adopt alternative iOS app stores may be contentious to say the least—and may yet fall foul of the new EU law that’s forcing Apple to make the shift—but the shift has begun. —Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024

In short, even people who are not Chinese citizens and live outside of Hong Kong can fall foul of the new legislation. —Ben Westcott, CNN, 3 July 2020

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organizes the annual event, has been calling for an end to one-party rule, a slogan that may fall foul of the national security law. —Eric Cheung, CNN, 6 May 2021

If Chinese firms fall foul of the Western legal system there will be consequences. —Stephen Collinson, CNN, 27 Sep. 2021

The fulltime whistle had yet to be blown but the Tottenham manager stormed down the tunnel — his head down and hands in his pockets — after seeing his team fall foul of a handball ruling that has quickly become the biggest talking point of the Premier League season. —Steve Douglas, Star Tribune, 27 Sep. 2020

Barca and Barca Athletic would not fall foul of Financial Fair Play regulations. —Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2023