laws

Definition of lawsnext
plural of law
1
2
as in constitutions
a collection or system of rules of conduct it's important to obey the law at all times, or else you might end up in jail

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in police
the department of government that keeps order, fights crime, and enforces statutes a petty thief who had somehow managed to avoid the law for most of his life

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 laws The policies proposed by the candidates range from eliminating key environmental laws to providing free childcare and college tuition. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026 But the way telemedicine is practiced varies widely, and state laws largely dictate rules that telehealth providers must follow. Maia Rosenfeld, NBC news, 29 May 2026 The lawsuit calls for various civil penalties against 23andMe and injunctions blocking the company from further violations of California’s privacy protection laws. Jaimie Ding, Fortune, 29 May 2026 Lisabeth Pérez Castle, the city’s independent monitor, said in a statement that the vague new approach to discipline does not clearly explain how safety officials will comply with city laws regarding the monitor’s oversight. Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 29 May 2026 Along with Jim Crow laws that criminalized Blackness, the loophole allowed for the legal re-enslavement of Black Americans to financially benefit the state. Julia Bowling, The Conversation, 29 May 2026 By rapidly deploying cost-effective interim housing, demanding County follow-through on social services, enforcing laws that keep streets and sidewalks clear, and ensuring transparency in homelessness spending, San José can restore public trust and make real progress. Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 29 May 2026 Good Samaritan was brought about during the Jim Crow era where segregation laws were being enforced. Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026 One of its iron laws is that anything that forces employers to raise wages kills jobs. Nick Hanauer, The Atlantic, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laws
Noun
  • The acts played the same local haunts and campus functions before merging into a supergroup that would alter the course of modern music history.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
  • What kinds of acts still move you?
    Joelle Goldstein, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • In the 1890s, at the height of the Gilded Age, Southern states rewrote their constitutions to disenfranchise poor whites and Black citizens alike, specifically to crush the rising Populist movement.
    Sarita Gupta, Time, 2 June 2026
  • State constitutions, which often have clauses enshrining equality and education, can serve as a pathway for challenges to segregation that results from economics and housing patterns, said Robert Williams, a professor of law emeritus at Rutgers University.
    Annie Ma, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Noun
  • The event has its roots in the violent police raid of New York’s Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, on June 28, 1969.
    Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
  • No charges have been filed as of Monday as police continue their investigation.
    Dan Snyder, CBS News, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • Our request to rezone a small part of the site at the corner of Wick and Holland is 100% in accordance with City planning and relevant ordinances.
    Julia Avant, CBS News, 4 June 2026
  • The Chicago City Council also passed affordable-housing ordinances in the nearby neighborhoods.
    Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • Makes sense that this is a the Mandarin, an Asian group with different codes for luxury.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026
  • Companies can’t hand over important access codes to unsecured AI agents, making cyber a key component of AI infrastructure.
    Zev Fima, CNBC, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • After the simultaneous awarding of the Russian and Qatari World Cups, in 2010, a process that was riddled with vote-buying, FIFA updated its statutes to make sure that such a thing would never happen again.
    Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • Whatever proponents call these statutes, the national effect is the same.
    Yaël Ossowski, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
Noun
  • Supporters argue the two bills address different stages of an investigation.
    Jamie Leary, CBS News, 31 May 2026
  • To pay for her medical bills, the family had to sell most of their remaining cattle and goats, a bitter blow after years of drought had already decimated local herds.
    Tommy Trenchard, NPR, 31 May 2026
Noun
  • Due to procedural rules in Congress, Democrats will have a small window to introduce amendments to the budget bill to try to officially end the fund.
    Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 3 June 2026
  • During the Senate’s vote-a-rama process, both parties can offer unlimited amendments and Democrats are expected to put forward a number of politically tricky amendments for Republicans to vote on.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Laws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laws. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.

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