blue law
noun
1
: one of numerous extremely rigorous laws designed to regulate morals and conduct in colonial New England
2
: a statute regulating work, commerce, and amusements on Sundays
Examples of blue law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Banning alcohol sales on Sunday dates back to Prohibition-era blue laws in which religious groups sought to reserve the day for worship.
—
Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Aug. 2024
New Jersey has a strong history of upholding its blue laws, but coastal protection has been at the forefront in recent years.
—Sarah Pulliam Bailey, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Shibe Park was home to some great teams, with the Athletics winning nine pennants and five World Series titles there, but ownership routinely cited the state’s restrictive blue laws for limiting their ability to play home games on Sundays, putting the club at a disadvantage to other teams.
—Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times, 26 May 2023
All stores in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island will be closed on Thanksgiving due to blue laws, which prohibit retailers from being open.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2019
Another thorny situation: The mall will abide by the blue laws, meaning retail will be closed Sundays even though the restaurants and theme parks will be open, says James Cassella, the East Rutherford, N.J. mayor.
—CBS News, 28 Oct. 2019
Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Aug. 2024
New Jersey has a strong history of upholding its blue laws, but coastal protection has been at the forefront in recent years.
—Sarah Pulliam Bailey, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Shibe Park was home to some great teams, with the Athletics winning nine pennants and five World Series titles there, but ownership routinely cited the state’s restrictive blue laws for limiting their ability to play home games on Sundays, putting the club at a disadvantage to other teams.
—Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times, 26 May 2023
All stores in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island will be closed on Thanksgiving due to blue laws, which prohibit retailers from being open.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2019
Another thorny situation: The mall will abide by the blue laws, meaning retail will be closed Sundays even though the restaurants and theme parks will be open, says James Cassella, the East Rutherford, N.J. mayor.
—CBS News, 28 Oct. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blue law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Blue law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue%20law. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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