afoul of
preposition
1
: in or into conflict with
ran afoul of the law
2
: in or into collision or entanglement with
Examples of afoul of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Late last month, Pirelli was told that due to investment linked to the Chinese government, its Cyber Tires may fall afoul of the ban on Chinese connected car software and hardware that was passed under the previous administration.
—
Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2025
Those who run afoul of the state law could face criminal charges, including jail time.
—Juan Ortega, Sun Sentinel, 11 June 2025
Dever also criticized the evidence presented by Coley regarding whether the eligibility rules have a sufficiently anticompetitive effect on the labor market of D-I football players to run afoul of antitrust law.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 June 2025
Because the governor’s return-to-office order will impact supervisors and managers, in addition to rank-and-file workers, the state ran afoul of union members’ rights by failing to notify them.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for afoul of
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Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2025
Those who run afoul of the state law could face criminal charges, including jail time.
—Juan Ortega, Sun Sentinel, 11 June 2025
Dever also criticized the evidence presented by Coley regarding whether the eligibility rules have a sufficiently anticompetitive effect on the labor market of D-I football players to run afoul of antitrust law.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 June 2025
Because the governor’s return-to-office order will impact supervisors and managers, in addition to rank-and-file workers, the state ran afoul of union members’ rights by failing to notify them.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for afoul of
Cite this Entry
“Afoul of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afoul%20of. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
afoul of
preposition1
: in or into collision or entanglement with
one ship ran afoul of the other
2
: in or into conflict with
they fell afoul of the law
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