statutes

noun

plural of statute
as in laws
a rule of conduct or action laid down by a governing authority and especially a legislature a new antilittering statute

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 statutes Those statutes prohibit local governments from limiting federal immigration enforcement. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026 While state legislators pass the statutes that define crimes, local prosecutors decide where to spend limited enforcement dollars. — Ronald Wright, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026 Some potential privacy breaches may fall under product safety laws that attorneys general can prosecute under UDAP statutes , Schroeder said, acknowledging the possibility of broader AI legislation coming out of the next Congress. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026 The lawsuit in District Court for the District of Columbia contends that the federal government failed to comply with numerous statutes. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Conservative lawyer Michael Edney cast the move in a long line of other attempts to pare back statutes from that era. — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026 Immigration violations are civil infractions, not crimes, and both common law and state statutes bar such arrests at courthouses. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The administration made swift work of reconstituting the tariff scheme using other trade statutes, like Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 Someone who has just been arrested for driving under the influence isn’t thinking about statutes, motions and legal procedure. — Matthew Nigro, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for statutes
  1. laws
  2. acts
  3. ordinances
  4. bills
  5. amendments
Noun
  • And this year, Georgia--with its draconian voting suppression laws--is breaking all kinds of voting records.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2026
  • The long running legal battle centers on allegations that the league and its 32 teams conspired in violation of antitrust laws to allow the NFL to reach exclusive deals with broadcast partners for the right to air out-of-market games.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of laws
Noun
  • The 11-day 312 Comedy Festival, spread across seven venues, features standup acts such as Michelle Wolf, Nikki Glaser, and Hacks writer Pat Regan.
    — Web Behrens, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Three decades ago, the indie music scene was flourishing with homegrown acts like Beck and Rilo Kiley, based around clubs like Spaceland and the Garage.
    — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of acts
Noun
  • The proposal is a combination of two ordinances originally pitched to the council in September.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • It is not referenced in the Vermilion Parish code of ordinances.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of ordinances
Noun
  • But, according to prosecutors, Wallace’s actions forced the church to scale back programming, take out loans and pay late fees and interest on overdue bills.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Shapiro told Semafor that he’ll be focused on passing a few specific items if his party wins full control of the government — not a parade of progressive bills, as Democrats in some swing states have done after winning the legislature.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of bills
Noun
  • Experts say the amendments could affect how the Japanese public views the imperial family.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Florida, however, requires amendments to secure 60% of the vote to pass.
    — Jim Defede, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of amendments

Browse Nearby Words

statute
statutes
statutory
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Statutes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/statutes. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of satiate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All