legal

adjective le·gal \ ˈlē-gəl \

Definition of legal

1 :of or relating to law

She has many legal problems.

2 a :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

c :established by law; especially :statutory

the legal test of mental capacity
—K. C. Masteller

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.

—

legally

play \ˈlē-gə-lē\ adverb

See legal defined for English-language learners

See legal defined for kids

Examples of legal in a Sentence

She has a lot of legal problems.
Do you know your legal rights?
The amount of alcohol in his blood exceeded the legal limit.
What you did was not legal.
“Is it legal to fish in this river?” “Yes, it's perfectly legal.”
The referee said it was a legal play.

Recent Examples of legal from the Web

Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly told lawmakers last week that legal advisers have warned him that DACA probably would not survive a court challenge.

— maria sacchetti, Washington Post, "Durbin, Graham file Dream Act, hoping to ward off legal challenge to DACA," 20 July 2017
The more successful that strategy, the more Amazon can monopolize the attention and shopping dollars of its customers — which, of course, is perfectly legal.

— anick jesdanun, The Seattle Times, "Amazon isn’t technically dominant, but it pervades our lives," 19 July 2017
The fabric of the United States legal system is bound together by every citizen’s right to an unbiased, timely trial.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: The importance of jury service," 19 July 2017
Federal campaigns are allowed to pay legal fees incurred in any proceeding involving allegations concerning the candidate’s campaign activities or duties as a federal officeholder.

— morgan cook, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hunter's campaign ramps up spending on attorneys amid probe," 18 July 2017
But now, couples are taking legal measures to create their own familial identities.

— allie volpe, Glamour, "More Couples Are Combining Their Last Names and Creating New Family Identities," 18 July 2017
This comes as Trump has moved to limit H-1B visas and sharply decrease legal immigration in general.

— vanityfair.com, "Grading the Trump Administration on the World’s Steepest Curve," 17 July 2017
Legal experts are deeply concerned about what this means for American democracy.

— politifact, Teen Vogue, "Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. Contradict the Truth, Too," 15 July 2017
In both cases, Holmes pointed out, the Air Force had no legal authority to actually do anything about the drones, particularly to shoot them down.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Air Force Wants Permission to Shoot Down Civilian Drones," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'legal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of legal

Anglo-French, from Latin legalis, from leg-, lex law

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

legal Synonyms

Synonyms

lawful, legit [slang], legitimate, licit

Antonyms

illegal, illegitimate, illicit, lawless, unlawful, wrongful

Related Words

allowable, authorized, noncriminal, permissible; justifiable, warrantable; constitutional; de jure, regulation, statutory; good, innocent, just, proper, right

Near Antonyms

bad, corrupt, evil, immoral, iniquitous, reprobate, sinful, wicked, wrong; banned, criminal, forbidden, guilty, impermissible, outlawed, prohibited, unauthorized, unjust; under-the-counter, under-the-table; nonconstitutional, unconstitutional

Synonym Discussion of legal

lawful, legal, legitimate, licit mean being in accordance with law. lawful may apply to conformity with law of any sort (such as natural, divine, common, or canon).

- the lawful sovereign

legal applies to what is sanctioned by law or in conformity with the law, especially as it is written or administered by the courts.

- legal residents of the state

legitimate may apply to a legal right or status but also, in extended use, to a right or status supported by tradition, custom, or accepted standards.

- a perfectly legitimate question about taxes

licit applies to a strict conformity to the provisions of the law and applies especially to what is regulated by law.

- the licit use of drugs by doctors

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

legal

noun

Definition of legal

:one that conforms to rules or the law

Recent Examples of legal from the Web

The number of people facing federal drug charges for marijuana violations in the 29 states that have made medical marijuana legal is not thought to be large.

— joel rubin, latimes.com, "The feds seized guns, gold and 320 pot plants. So why did a judge rule they can't pursue marijuana charges?," 14 Aug. 2017
The suit was filed Friday (May 19) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and seeks legals costs and unspecified damages.

— marc schneider, Billboard, "PayPal Sues Pandora Over 'Patently Unlawful' Logo," 22 May 2017
The state of Ohio, which made medical marijuana legal last September, is in the process of setting guidelines for the issuance of licenses for cultivation, processing and dispensing.

— jeff piorkowski/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "University Heights Council learns more about medical marijuana; Swenson's Drive-in to present before Planning Commission," 16 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of legal

see ¹legal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1923

See Words from the same year

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

LEGAL Defined for English Language Learners

legal

adjective

Definition of legal for English Language Learners

: of or relating to the law
: based on the law
: allowed by the law or by the rules in a game

LEGAL Defined for Kids

legal

adjective le·gal \ ˈlē-gəl \

Definition of legal for Students

1 :of or relating to law or lawyers

legal books

2 :based on law

a legal right

3 :allowed by law or rules

legal conduct

a legal play in a game

—

legally

adverb

Law Dictionary

legal

adjective le·gal \ ˈlē-gəl \

legal Definition of legal

1 :of or relating to law or the processes of law

a legal question

take legal action

2 a :deriving authority from or founded on law

a legal tariff rate

a legal government

b :fulfilling the requirements of law

a legal voter

c :having a status derived from law :recognized as such by law

a legal certainty

d :created by operation of especially statutory law

legal incompetence

a legal presumption

— compare conventional 1, judicial 2

e :established by law

the legal test for mental capacity

3 :conforming to or permitted by law :lawful

a referendum to make gambling legal

4 :recognized or made effective under principles of law as distinguished from principles of equity :deriving from or existing or valid in law as distinguished from equity — see also equity — compare equitable

5 a :of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the profession of law or one of its members