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
Goldman Sachs requires its employees to get preapproval before receiving gifts from or giving them to clients, according to the company’s code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws.
—
Ken Sweet, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
But most of the new entrants, such as Intrade and Tradesports, have floundered after running afoul of federal regulators and federal laws prohibiting internet and sports gambling.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Goldman Sachs requires its employees to get preapproval before receiving or giving gifts from clients, according to the company’s code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws.
—Ken Sweet, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
The league asserted that publicizing the cards ran afoul of several CBA provisions.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for afoul of
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Ken Sweet, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
But most of the new entrants, such as Intrade and Tradesports, have floundered after running afoul of federal regulators and federal laws prohibiting internet and sports gambling.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Goldman Sachs requires its employees to get preapproval before receiving or giving gifts from clients, according to the company’s code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws.
—Ken Sweet, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
The league asserted that publicizing the cards ran afoul of several CBA provisions.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Feb. 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 21 Feb. 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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