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
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Some of the largest asset managers are wary of pre-disclosure for regulatory reasons; a way forward would be for regulators, such as the SEC in the US, to offer assurances that such pre-disclosure would not run afoul of the rules.
—
Sarah Keohane Williamson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
The Energy Department and the EPA seem to have run afoul of four laws in particular that may be tricky for the administration to get around.
—H. Christopher Frey, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2025
Several committee members said allowing the companies to operate in Texas appears to run afoul of the provision in the state law that established the lottery and prohibits selling lottery tickets by telephone.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
The court concluded that the state's measure, which is known as SB1 and was enacted in 2023, does not run afoul of the 14th Amendment.
—June 18, CBS News, 18 June 2025
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Sarah Keohane Williamson, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
The Energy Department and the EPA seem to have run afoul of four laws in particular that may be tricky for the administration to get around.
—H. Christopher Frey, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2025
Several committee members said allowing the companies to operate in Texas appears to run afoul of the provision in the state law that established the lottery and prohibits selling lottery tickets by telephone.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
The court concluded that the state's measure, which is known as SB1 and was enacted in 2023, does not run afoul of the 14th Amendment.
—June 18, CBS News, 18 June 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 Aug. 2025.
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