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
Later in the journey the family run afoul of smugglers in Thailand, which leads to an even more desperate situation as the children have to fend for themselves.
—
Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 3 Nov. 2025
That line of reasoning suggests Title IX does apply, and a school spending most of its money on football players could potentially cause that school to run afoul of Title IX.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Oct. 2025
And using his money might run afoul of federal law, according to the Times, which cited two people familiar with the matter in identifying the billionaire railroad magnate as the donor.
—Annie Nova,dan Mangan, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2025
James' lawyers argue in their filing that Halligan's comments to Bower run afoul of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Code of Federal Regulations, local court rules, the Justice Department Manual, and rules of ethical and professional responsibility.
—Pierre Thomas, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afoul of
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Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 3 Nov. 2025
That line of reasoning suggests Title IX does apply, and a school spending most of its money on football players could potentially cause that school to run afoul of Title IX.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Oct. 2025
And using his money might run afoul of federal law, according to the Times, which cited two people familiar with the matter in identifying the billionaire railroad magnate as the donor.
—Annie Nova,dan Mangan, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2025
James' lawyers argue in their filing that Halligan's comments to Bower run afoul of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Code of Federal Regulations, local court rules, the Justice Department Manual, and rules of ethical and professional responsibility.
—Pierre Thomas, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
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 11 Nov. 2025.
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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