1
a
: being in harmony with the law
a lawful judgment
b
: constituted, authorized, or established by law : rightful
lawful institutions
2
: law-abiding
lawful citizens
Examples of lawful in a Sentence
a lawful search of the property
hunting is a lawful activity only if you have the proper license
Recent Examples on the Web
Two more are lawful permanent residents of the U.S., and one is a dual Iranian American citizen.
—
Shannon K. Crawford, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2023
The standard applies to people seeking a green card for the first time (through a relationship to a U.S. citizen or a sponsorship by a U.S. employer) and lawful permanent residents seeking to reenter the U.S. after an absence of more than six months.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
The case: The special counsel’s office has been investigating whether Trump or those close to him violated the law by interfering with the lawful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election or with Congress’s confirmation of the results on Jan. 6, 2021.
—Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
According to the suit, between 2018 and 2022, SpaceX posted 14 public job advertisements stating that the company could only hire U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2023
The rocket company discouraged anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident from applying for a job and refused to hire refugees and people granted asylum from September 2018 to May 2022, the lawsuit filed Thursday alleges.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 24 Aug. 2023
But business and technology groups say the bill still comes with constitutional concerns because companies afraid of getting sued will end up removing more lawful content, including news coverage and historical items.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2023
Diaz had pleaded guilty in April to pleaded guilty to charges of forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a postal employee; and assaulting a person having lawful charge, custody and control of US mail with the intent to rob, officials said.
—Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2023
Prosecuting Trump may help distinguish lawful challenges in future elections from outright criminal acts.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2023
See More
Shannon K. Crawford, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2023
The standard applies to people seeking a green card for the first time (through a relationship to a U.S. citizen or a sponsorship by a U.S. employer) and lawful permanent residents seeking to reenter the U.S. after an absence of more than six months.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
The case: The special counsel’s office has been investigating whether Trump or those close to him violated the law by interfering with the lawful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election or with Congress’s confirmation of the results on Jan. 6, 2021.
—Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
According to the suit, between 2018 and 2022, SpaceX posted 14 public job advertisements stating that the company could only hire U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2023
The rocket company discouraged anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident from applying for a job and refused to hire refugees and people granted asylum from September 2018 to May 2022, the lawsuit filed Thursday alleges.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 24 Aug. 2023
But business and technology groups say the bill still comes with constitutional concerns because companies afraid of getting sued will end up removing more lawful content, including news coverage and historical items.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2023
Diaz had pleaded guilty in April to pleaded guilty to charges of forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a postal employee; and assaulting a person having lawful charge, custody and control of US mail with the intent to rob, officials said.
—Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2023
Prosecuting Trump may help distinguish lawful challenges in future elections from outright criminal acts.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lawful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of lawful was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near lawful
Cite this Entry
“Lawful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lawful. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
Legal Definition
lawful
adjective
law·ful
1
a
: being in harmony with the law
a lawful judgment
a lawful purpose
b
: constituted, authorized, or established by law
a lawful duty
2
: law-abiding
lawful citizens
lawfully
adverb
lawfulness
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on lawful
Nglish: Translation of lawful for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of lawful for Arabic Speakers
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