the long arm of the law
noun phrase
: the ability of the police to find and catch people who commit crimes
The long arm of the law finally caught up with him 30 years later.
Examples of the long arm of the law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And that’s before other, more standard neo-noir complications crowd in on Pablos’ tight, terse script: gun-toting ghosts from Veneno’s past, and the long arm of the law following one rash, fatal truck-stop altercation.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Sep. 2025
Newman and Redford star as Butch and Sundance, respectively, a pair of outlaws on the run from the long arm of the law in the 1890s.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
But, while precedent and the recent Supreme Court ruling make prosecuting a president unlikely, the long arm of the law could still reach other individuals tied to a bribery scheme, experts said.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
And along with obviously exposing himself to the long arm of the law, Coop’s capers also expose him to the plethora of secrets lurking inside these affluent suburban mansions.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
But the long arm of the law is not the hand of God.
—Theodore R. Johnson, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
Now the long arm of the law has reached him and dumped him in jail.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 10 June 2024
Staying in power is a form of insurance policy against the long arm of the law.
—Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2014
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Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Sep. 2025
Newman and Redford star as Butch and Sundance, respectively, a pair of outlaws on the run from the long arm of the law in the 1890s.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
But, while precedent and the recent Supreme Court ruling make prosecuting a president unlikely, the long arm of the law could still reach other individuals tied to a bribery scheme, experts said.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
And along with obviously exposing himself to the long arm of the law, Coop’s capers also expose him to the plethora of secrets lurking inside these affluent suburban mansions.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2025
But the long arm of the law is not the hand of God.
—Theodore R. Johnson, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
Now the long arm of the law has reached him and dumped him in jail.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 10 June 2024
Staying in power is a form of insurance policy against the long arm of the law.
—Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2014
Cite this Entry
“The long arm of the law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20long%20arm%20of%20the%20law. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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