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
But if the justices reach the legal issues raised in the case, the Justice Department and Danco have urged the court to find that the FDA's 2016 and 2021 actions were lawful.
—
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2024
Trump's lawyers have argued that the law conferred on Trump the power to designate the documents at issue as personal, making his retention of the documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate lawful.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024
Even while Turner spoke, a few staffers began privately debating whether what Turner described was a lawful use of the program.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024
The three inmates were also charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery, and two counts of kidnapping.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
The three suspects have also been charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and kidnapping.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
Texas lawmakers contend that SB4 is lawful, and necessary, because the federal government hasn’t properly exercised its own immigration enforcement powers.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2024
The court heard Wednesday that with both Karamo and Hoekstra claiming to be the lawful chair, confusion has ensued as the Feb. 27 presidential primary and the March 2 Republican caucus/convention approaches.
—Detroit Free Press, 22 Feb. 2024
Last week, the suspects were returned to Grenada, where they were all charged with two counts of capital murder, escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and two counts of kidnapping.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024
Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2024
Trump's lawyers have argued that the law conferred on Trump the power to designate the documents at issue as personal, making his retention of the documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate lawful.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024
Even while Turner spoke, a few staffers began privately debating whether what Turner described was a lawful use of the program.
—Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024
The three inmates were also charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery, and two counts of kidnapping.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024
The three suspects have also been charged with escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and kidnapping.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
Texas lawmakers contend that SB4 is lawful, and necessary, because the federal government hasn’t properly exercised its own immigration enforcement powers.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2024
The court heard Wednesday that with both Karamo and Hoekstra claiming to be the lawful chair, confusion has ensued as the Feb. 27 presidential primary and the March 2 Republican caucus/convention approaches.
—Detroit Free Press, 22 Feb. 2024
Last week, the suspects were returned to Grenada, where they were all charged with two counts of capital murder, escaping lawful custody, housebreaking, robbery and two counts of kidnapping.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near lawful
Cite this Entry
“Lawful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lawful. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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