on the wrong side of the law
idiom
—used to say that someone is living the life of a criminal
He has been on the wrong side of the law since he was 17.
Examples of on the wrong side of the law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But most of those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law are not from the Golden City, police say.
—
Hannah Ray Lambert, Fox News, 28 July 2023
Not since Merle Haggard and Johnny Paycheck has mainstream country music seen an artist who’s sung about being on the wrong side of the law or its consequences, let alone done time there.
—Holly Gleason, Variety, 2 June 2023
By then, the federal government had started enforcing anti-paraphernalia laws, which targeted bongs and pot pipes but not rolling paper, and Levin saw his friends and peers in the industry on the wrong side of the law.
—Will Yakowicz, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
Hannah Ray Lambert, Fox News, 28 July 2023
Not since Merle Haggard and Johnny Paycheck has mainstream country music seen an artist who’s sung about being on the wrong side of the law or its consequences, let alone done time there.
—Holly Gleason, Variety, 2 June 2023
By then, the federal government had started enforcing anti-paraphernalia laws, which targeted bongs and pot pipes but not rolling paper, and Levin saw his friends and peers in the industry on the wrong side of the law.
—Will Yakowicz, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on the wrong side of the law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near on the wrong side of the law
Cite this Entry
“On the wrong side of the law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20wrong%20side%20of%20the%20law. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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