legal

adjective le·gal \ ˈlē-gəl \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: legal in a Sentence

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

In addition to spousal support, Davis is also reportedly asking for joint legal and primary physical custody of their two daughters Lillie, 13, and Mary, 17 with Bush getting visitation rights.

— mariah haas, Fox News, "Billy Bush's wife, Sydney Davis, files for divorce after nearly 20 years of marriage: report," 13 July 2018
Prosecutors argued Van Hook knew of the legal challenge over the lethal injection policy as early as 2009 but waited until last month to seek the stay.

— CBS News, "Prosecutor: Bring back firing squads for executions," 13 July 2018
The Affordable Care Act law faces a fresh legal challenge that could unravel the measure's protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions, and that case could soon land before the high court.

— maureen groppe, Indianapolis Star, "How unsolicited text messages were sent to Hoosiers to put pressure on Sen. Joe Donnelly," 13 July 2018
Both its supporters and opponents have poured money into the ongoing legal and public relations fight over the Philadelphia tax, and its fate is pending before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

— laura mccrystal, Philly.com, "California banned new soda taxes. Could it happen in Pennsylvania?," 12 July 2018
But these crests had legal and diplomatic significance as well as aesthetic appeal, and their anonymous African creators had a political understanding of art not so far from our own.

— New York Times, "23 Art Exhibitions to View in N.Y.C. This Weekend," 12 July 2018
Pharmaceutical companies have resisted the use of their drugs in executions for 10 years, citing legal and ethical concerns.

— author: ken ritter, michelle l. price, Anchorage Daily News, "Execution blocked after company objects to use of its drug," 12 July 2018
Pharmaceutical companies have resisted the use of their drugs in executions for 10 years, citing legal and ethical concerns.

— ken ritter and michelle l. price, Time, "Nevada Delays Its First Execution in 12 Years After a Drug Company Objects," 12 July 2018
Pharmaceutical companies have resisted the use of their drugs in executions for 10 years, citing both legal and ethical concerns.

— ken ritter, USA TODAY, "Nevada execution in doubt after pharmaceutical company lawsuit," 11 July 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

legal Synonyms

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

American Media agreed to give Ms. McDougal back the rights to her story as part of an April legal settlement, but the company insisted that the Men’s Journal cover go forward as planned.

— WSJ, "Ex-Playmate Alleging Trump Affair to Get Men’s Journal Cover," 27 June 2018
With recreational or medical marijuana legal in 29 states and the nation’s capital, the pot industry employed 121,000 people in the U.S. last year.

— david goldstein and anita chabria, sacbee, "Pot businesses are on a hiring spree. Here’s how much the jobs pay," 8 June 2018
An extravagant legal row this week suggests there may be little time left for complacency.

— The Economist, "Donald Trump’s powers are not quite as vast as his lawyers claim," 7 June 2018
Barrett has asked Columbia to refund her spring term rent and tuition, and originally turned to Equip for Equality, a disability legal and advocacy organization, for help.

— deanna isaacs, Chicago Reader, "How many emotional support animals is too many?," 8 Apr. 2018
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

in the meaning defined above

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