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

So, more of those chemicals could now legally remain, even in drinking water that’s been treated to remove PFOS and PFOA. —Austin Fast, USA Today, 16 May 2025

The two women found with the cigarettes had receipts showing they were legally purchased but did not have proper paperwork to import the large quantity into the U.S., agents said. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2025

Rum can legally be matured almost anywhere in the world. —Mark Littler, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025

On Thursday, May 15, Kardashian, 46, shared a carousel of snaps taken on May 15, 2022, when the pair legally tied the knot. —Clare Fisher, People.com, 15 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for legally

• illegally