the spirit of the law
noun phrase
: the aim or purpose of a law when it was written
They seem to be more concerned with obeying the letter of the law than with understanding the spirit of the law.
Examples of the spirit of the law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Meanwhile, the La Playa Piers, with the exception of the Nichols Street Pier, have been updated over the years to comply with the spirit of the law.
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Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024
Some whistleblower lawyers are encouraging more reporting of any agreement that might fall afoul of the spirit of the law.
—Mengqi Sun, WSJ, 5 Dec. 2023
As Rolling Stone has previously reported, nearly all of the biggest ticket resale companies have skirted those laws in ways that at minimum go against what the spirit of the law intended and at worst outright breaks it.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2023
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024
Some whistleblower lawyers are encouraging more reporting of any agreement that might fall afoul of the spirit of the law.
—Mengqi Sun, WSJ, 5 Dec. 2023
As Rolling Stone has previously reported, nearly all of the biggest ticket resale companies have skirted those laws in ways that at minimum go against what the spirit of the law intended and at worst outright breaks it.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the spirit of the law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the spirit of the law
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“The spirit of the law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20spirit%20of%20the%20law. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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