laws

noun

plural of law
1
as in acts
a rule of conduct or action laid down by a governing authority and especially a legislature a record number of laws were passed in that legislative session

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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

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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

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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 letter alleged the Smithsonian ​may have violated anti-discrimination laws. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2026 The franchise legally resides in Utah, which has one of the lowest minimum wage laws in the country. — Sam Blum, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Such an arrangement could breach British laws on political funding, which ⁠ban foreign donations. — NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026 In a statement shared with NPR, her attorney Nick Oberheiden pointed out that the report did not find that Chavez-DeRemer broke any laws. — Andrea Hsu, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026 The clash highlights California’s patchwork gun-zoning laws and Goleta’s history of mass shootings. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Johnson has repeatedly spoken out about how Missouri’s gun laws have hampered prosecuting the case, after two of the men charged in the shooting received plea agreements. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026 Rubinger’s case did not result in criminal charges A spokesman for Rubinger, Erick Mullen, did not answer questions about the nurse practitioner’s treatment of Davis or any other athlete, citing medical privacy laws. — Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 None of this suggests attorneys general should hesitate to enforce antitrust laws when genuine violations occur. — Robin Rossenfeld, Denver Post, 28 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laws
  1. acts
  2. constitutions
  3. police
  4. ordinances
  5. codes
  6. statutes
  7. bills
  8. amendments
Noun
  • These belated acts of institutional integration are part of a necessary and long overdue revision of West German art history’s mechanisms of exclusion.
    — Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Its most prominent acts include Junior H, Fuerza Regida and Peso Pluma.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of acts
Noun
  • The decision echoes those seen in several former Soviet republics, including Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, where leaders have used new or amended constitutions to revise statutory term limits.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Competitions have been created and then shelved within a few years, constitutions adopted and then rewritten, and the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the oldest domestic tournament in Pakistan, was trimmed from 18 teams to 10 for the 2025-26 edition.
    — Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of constitutions
Noun
  • Blytheville Police Chief John Frazier deferred to the state police when reached by phone on Sunday.
    — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
  • According to the police documents obtained by Law & Crime, Weatherall, 22, ordered a Lyft ride to an apartment complex in Greenville.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of police
Noun
  • Additionally, the law prohibits the state from overriding local ordinances limiting, prohibiting or otherwise regulating data centers.
    — Des Moines Register, States Newsroom, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Local officials said the company hasn't violated any county noise ordinances though, the outlet reported.
    — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of ordinances
Noun
  • Flock Safety announced some changes to its policies in mid-August after reports of misuse, including requiring officers to enter specific codes.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Ballot envelopes would have to comply with new Postal Service rules and include bar codes.
    — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of codes
Noun
  • Obeying God’s statutes in our own lives helps open the way for others to do the same.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Justices’ daily business involves resolving ambiguities, clarifying jurisdiction, harmonizing conflicting statutes, and adjudicating conflicts in special jurisdictions.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of statutes
Noun
  • The district voluntarily rolled back its levy rate in 2023 when property tax bills spiked countywide during the troubled 2023 property tax assessment cycle.
    — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The press conference was for the governor to sign a series of bills, including a literacy bill that provides training and support for educators, requires screening for dyslexia and other learning disabilities and mandates kindergarten attendance.
    — Jason Armesto, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of bills
Noun
  • The Public Advocates Office, the independent consumer advocate at the Public Utilities Commission, said recent amendments to the bill did not address its concerns about shifting costs from one group of ratepayers to another.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Apply Amendments If the results of the soil sample indicate the need for amendments, they should be applied before reseeding.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of amendments

Browse Nearby Words

lawns
laws
lawsuit
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Cite this Entry

“Laws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laws. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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