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
The state lawyers argued the merger would run afoul of federal laws designed to protect against monopolies.
—
Arkansas Online, 21 Mar. 2026
Any investment could run afoul of the embargo Economic sanctions put in place by the US decades ago already block most commercial activity on the island involving Americans, creating significant legal barriers to any new investment.
—Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
But the farm bill, now with the Senate Agriculture Committee, has highlighted the reality that politicians trying to cater to the powerful agriculture industry risk losing the support of MAHA while running afoul of public health goals.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 20 Mar. 2026
In the lawsuit, the former agents said their firings run afoul of FBI policy, which stipulates that agents can only be removed for cause, such as poor performance on the job, abuse of leave, misconduct, national security concerns or an inability to perform their duties.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for afoul of
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Arkansas Online, 21 Mar. 2026
Any investment could run afoul of the embargo Economic sanctions put in place by the US decades ago already block most commercial activity on the island involving Americans, creating significant legal barriers to any new investment.
—Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
But the farm bill, now with the Senate Agriculture Committee, has highlighted the reality that politicians trying to cater to the powerful agriculture industry risk losing the support of MAHA while running afoul of public health goals.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 20 Mar. 2026
In the lawsuit, the former agents said their firings run afoul of FBI policy, which stipulates that agents can only be removed for cause, such as poor performance on the job, abuse of leave, misconduct, national security concerns or an inability to perform their duties.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 19 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 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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