Definition of legal
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: of or relating to law
She has many legal problems.
2a
: deriving authority from or founded on law : de jure
a legal government
b
: having a formal status derived from law often without a basis in actual fact : titular
a corporation is a legal but not a real person
3
: conforming to or permitted by law or established rules
The referee said it was a legal play. Fishing in this lake is legal.
4
: recognized or made effective by a court of law as distinguished from a court of equity
5
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the profession of law or of one of its members
a bottle … that some legal friend had sent him— J. G. Cozzens
6
: created by the constructions of the law
A legal fiction is something assumed in law to be a fact regardless of the truth of that assumption.
legal
nounDefinition of legal (Entry 2 of 2)
: one that conforms to rules or the law
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Thing: Flower Edition
-
- Name that flower

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share legal
Time Traveler for legal
The first known use of legal was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century