legal age

noun

Definition of legal age

: the age at which a person enters into full adult legal rights and responsibilities (as of making contracts or wills)

Examples of legal age in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency focused on setting labor standards and policies, a child is not allowed to work below a country's minimum legal age, which is 15 in most nations. — Sam Mednick, Fox News, "In South Sudan, some children work in mines to survive," 12 Sep. 2018 With only a black market, there would be none of the identification checks required of legal businesses to ensure all buyers are of legal age. — BostonGlobe.com, "Should Northborough ban recreational and medical marijuana businesses?," 20 Apr. 2018 Initiative 1639 will raise the legal age to buy semiautomatic rifles — widely described as assault rifles — from 18 to 21. — German Lopez, Vox, "Washington votes to strengthen gun laws with Initiative 1639," 7 Nov. 2018 In its statement, the FDA says that some e-cigarette companies suggested combatting that by upping the legal age for purchasing tobacco to 21. — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "FDA asks e-cigarette giants to help regulate themselves," 31 Oct. 2018 Even her birthday cake was topped with a Barbie doll, face down in the icing, as Kylie has finally reached the legal age to drink. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kylie Jenner Snuggling with Baby Stormi in Her Instagram Stories Will Melt Your Heart," 25 Aug. 2018 Although some of the scholarships are limited to students 18 and older — the nation’s legal age to buy vaping products — many are open to younger teens or have no age limit. — NBC News, "Vaping essays: e-cigarette sellers offering scholarships," 8 June 2018 But selecting 21 as the legal age for T-21 is not arbitrary, Hendricks said. — Jennifer Conn, Akron Reporter, cleveland.com, "Akron City Council hears health experts as it mulls raising the legal age to buy tobacco to 21," 20 Mar. 2018 No charges were filed against Molina because in Texas, the legal age for consent is 17. — Matthew Martinez, star-telegram, "Teen was performing sex act on 54-year-old before cutting his throat from ear to ear, Texas cops say," 5 June 2018

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

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20 Dec 2018

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The first known use of legal age was in 1658

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More Definitions for legal age

legal age

noun

le·gal age | \ ˈlē-gəl-

Medical Definition of legal age

: the age at which a person enters into full adult legal rights and responsibilities (as of making contracts or wills)

legal age

noun

Legal Definition of legal age

: an age at which a person becomes entitled under the law to engage in a particular activity or becomes responsible for particular acts the legal age for drinking in this state broadly : age of majority — compare age of consent, emancipate