fall/run afoul of

phrase

chiefly US

: to get into trouble because of not obeying or following (the law, a rule, etc.)

After leaving home he fell afoul of the law.

an investor who has run afoul of stock market rules

Examples of fall/run afoul of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The letter described the arrangement as an exclusive dealing between two dominant firms that could run afoul of sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 6 Apr. 2026

Such payments likely run afoul of American and European sanctions on the Guard, a key power center within Iran that controls its ballistic missile arsenal and was key in suppressing nationwide protests in January. — David McHugh, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2026

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