fall/run afoul of
idiom
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
On its face, at least, Do’s behavior does not run afoul of county policies, which allow supervisors to direct money to nonprofits run by their adult children without telling the public about the relationship.
—
Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The case never got that far, but Wolfe had run afoul of ABA and Utah Bar rules, as his guilty plea admits.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
The answer is Don Hankey, a subprime car loan billionaire who has run afoul of regulators.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
The council says policies such as those enacted last year in eight states run afoul of those standards.
—USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024
And the council says policies like those enacted last year in eight states run afoul of those standards.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Detonating a weapon in space would be unprecedented and could run afoul of international rules barring the use of indiscriminate weapons on civilians or civilian objects.
—Georgina Torbet, The Verge, 19 Mar. 2024
Thailand’s turbulent political history has previously seen parties that have pushed for change run afoul of the powerful establishment – a nexus of the military, monarchy and influential elites.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 31 Jan. 2024
Influencers who successfully navigate the Taliban’s rules may still run afoul of YouTube itself.
—Rick Noack, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The case never got that far, but Wolfe had run afoul of ABA and Utah Bar rules, as his guilty plea admits.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
The answer is Don Hankey, a subprime car loan billionaire who has run afoul of regulators.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
The council says policies such as those enacted last year in eight states run afoul of those standards.
—USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024
And the council says policies like those enacted last year in eight states run afoul of those standards.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Detonating a weapon in space would be unprecedented and could run afoul of international rules barring the use of indiscriminate weapons on civilians or civilian objects.
—Georgina Torbet, The Verge, 19 Mar. 2024
Thailand’s turbulent political history has previously seen parties that have pushed for change run afoul of the powerful establishment – a nexus of the military, monarchy and influential elites.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 31 Jan. 2024
Influencers who successfully navigate the Taliban’s rules may still run afoul of YouTube itself.
—Rick Noack, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fall/run afoul of.' 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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“Fall/run afoul of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%2Frun%20afoul%20of. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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