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
Lamberth ruled that the shut down of VOA and the termination of grants to other networks ran afoul of congressional appropriations laws, among other things.
—
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2025
The firm, which was joined by JW Howard Attorneys, has brought federal complaints against major companies, including Starbucks, Morgan Stanley and BlackRock, arguing that corporate diversity and hiring practices run afoul of civil rights laws.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2025
The documents take broad aim at practices such as training, employment resources group and fellowship programs, warning such programs — depending on how they’re constructed — could run afoul of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race and gender.
—Alexandra Olson and Claire Savage, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Everyone with opinions left of center or anyone who’d ever run afoul of the Red Scare communist purity-testers was targeted.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afoul of
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Ted Johnson, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2025
The firm, which was joined by JW Howard Attorneys, has brought federal complaints against major companies, including Starbucks, Morgan Stanley and BlackRock, arguing that corporate diversity and hiring practices run afoul of civil rights laws.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2025
The documents take broad aim at practices such as training, employment resources group and fellowship programs, warning such programs — depending on how they’re constructed — could run afoul of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race and gender.
—Alexandra Olson and Claire Savage, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Everyone with opinions left of center or anyone who’d ever run afoul of the Red Scare communist purity-testers was targeted.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 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 20 May. 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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