legally

adverb

le·​gal·​ly ˈlē-gə-lē 

1

: in a legal manner : in accordance with the law

a transfer that was not done legally

a drug that can now be legally bought and sold in many countries

2

: from the point of view of law

Legally, she had no claim to the estate.

They were not legally obligated to provide assistance.

a person who is legally blind [=who is blind according to the legal definition of blindness]

legally drunk [=drunk according to the legal definition of drunkenness]

Synonyms

• clean
• cleanly
• fair
• fairly

Examples of legally in a Sentence

that's not a move that can be made legally in chess

Recent Examples on the Web

Paterson was New York's first African American governor and the nation's first legally blind governor. —Matt Foster, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2024

However, in Georgia, there no such thing legally as a veneer specialist or veneer technician. —Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 4 Oct. 2024

Parents can also be held legally responsible for the behavior of their minor children. —Victoria Le, Orange County Register, 4 Oct. 2024

Most states still legally require vehicles to possess sideview mirrors. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1