1
as in unlawful
contrary to or forbidden by law
it is illegal to import those birds into this country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in foul
not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport
an illegal pass
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illegal
Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.
—
James Bruggers, The Courier-Journal, 5 July 2017
Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.
—Lisa Beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, 5 July 2017
Facebook has been scrutinized for its handling of its users’ data, and social networks face fines in Germany for failing to swiftly take down hate speech and illegal content.
—Amie Tsang, New York Times, 4 July 2017
In the 1950s and 1960s, major city hospitals in the United States admitted as many as 20 to 30 women a day for complications from illegal or self-induced abortions.
—Cindy Crabb, Teen Vogue, 1 July 2017
Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler as a stuck-in-a-rut suburban couple who open an illegal casino to pay for their daughter's college tuition.
—Owen Gleiberman, chicagotribune.com, 30 June 2017
They are charged with illegal re-entry into the United States after previous deportation or removal, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Ray Parmer.
—Carol Robinson, AL.com, 30 June 2017
Trump later walked back these comments, sort of, saying that instead, doctors should be punished for providing abortions if the procedure were made illegal.
—Michael Sebastian, Cosmopolitan, 29 June 2017
A Helsinki district court on Wednesday ordered the assets of Uber's Finnish country manager be confiscated until police conclude an investigation into whether the U.S. ride-hailing firm operates an illegal taxi service in Finland.
—Reuters, Fortune, 28 June 2017
James Bruggers, The Courier-Journal, 5 July 2017
Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.
—Lisa Beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, 5 July 2017
Facebook has been scrutinized for its handling of its users’ data, and social networks face fines in Germany for failing to swiftly take down hate speech and illegal content.
—Amie Tsang, New York Times, 4 July 2017
In the 1950s and 1960s, major city hospitals in the United States admitted as many as 20 to 30 women a day for complications from illegal or self-induced abortions.
—Cindy Crabb, Teen Vogue, 1 July 2017
Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler as a stuck-in-a-rut suburban couple who open an illegal casino to pay for their daughter's college tuition.
—Owen Gleiberman, chicagotribune.com, 30 June 2017
They are charged with illegal re-entry into the United States after previous deportation or removal, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Ray Parmer.
—Carol Robinson, AL.com, 30 June 2017
Trump later walked back these comments, sort of, saying that instead, doctors should be punished for providing abortions if the procedure were made illegal.
—Michael Sebastian, Cosmopolitan, 29 June 2017
A Helsinki district court on Wednesday ordered the assets of Uber's Finnish country manager be confiscated until police conclude an investigation into whether the U.S. ride-hailing firm operates an illegal taxi service in Finland.
—Reuters, Fortune, 28 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illegal
Adjective
-
The man faces one count each of first-degree assault or attempted serious physical injury, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, resisting arrest or detention by fleeing, and second-degree domestic assault.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2025
-
In 2022, Hemphill pleaded guilty to unlawful parading, a misdemeanor charge that got her two months in prison, three years of probation and a $500 fine.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene slid into foul territory down the left-field line in pursuit of Chase Meidroth’s third-inning fly ball, then disappeared in a cloud of dust.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
3 June 2025
-
Then, Muncy went deep again, continuing his recent surge by belting another three-run homer high off the right-field foul pole, tying a career-high with seven RBIs on the day.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
That included Vásquez's organization, which was about to receive a four-year, $2.5 million grant to continue fighting illicit activity that affects Indigenous people in the region.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 June 2025
-
The operation allegedly generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
Some widely circulated by partisan sources were certainly unfair to Biden.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
-
However, Samantha's reaction to learning that Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) is sober is unfair and doesn’t age well.—
Melissa Locker,
Time,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
Local business owners are complaining about threats and extortion from criminal groups in Morelos.—
Nathaniel Parish Flannery,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
-
The department on Thursday published a list of the jurisdictions and said each one will receive formal notification that the government has deemed them noncompliant and if they're believed to be in violation of any federal criminal statutes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
Well, as referenced above, the United States was coming out of a nasty recession tied to the crisis in the mortgage market.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
-
But many of those story beats feel perfunctory; the film comes to life in the nastier, grislier set pieces.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illegal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illegal. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share