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
Multiple people freed by the pardons have run afoul of the law after being released.
—
James Powel, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
But attorney Chris Dolan told SFGate that the rules could run afoul of a state law, Civil Code 51, which bars discrimination in California businesses.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
However, the seemingly innocuous aims announced by these leading politicians may soon run afoul of housing density factors playing no role in rebuilding that’s followed other major California blazes.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025
There’s also bad blood as the Trump administration has sidestepped Congress to undertake a sweeping operation aimed at reshaping government that has run afoul of Democrats and been tangled up in the courts.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of
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James Powel, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2025
But attorney Chris Dolan told SFGate that the rules could run afoul of a state law, Civil Code 51, which bars discrimination in California businesses.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
However, the seemingly innocuous aims announced by these leading politicians may soon run afoul of housing density factors playing no role in rebuilding that’s followed other major California blazes.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025
There’s also bad blood as the Trump administration has sidestepped Congress to undertake a sweeping operation aimed at reshaping government that has run afoul of Democrats and been tangled up in the courts.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of
Cite this Entry
“Fall/run afoul of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%2Frun%20afoul%20of. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
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