as in laws
a rule of conduct or action laid down by a governing authority and especially a legislature
a new antilittering statute
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Recent Examples of statutes
One of those statutes requires election officials to keep voter registration records for 22 months after an election.
—
Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Evans said investigators were examining whether election improprieties in Fulton County amounted to violations of federal statutes governing the preservation of election records and the knowing deprivation of a fair election.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 10 Feb. 2026
The administration in legal filings has said the agreement from 1997 is outdated and should be terminated because there are new statutes, regulations and policies that ensure good conditions for immigrant minors in detention.
—Mica Rosenberg, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
The decision instead reflected how California, Florida and other states were propelled by Ed O’Bannon’s successful case over the uncompensated use of college players’ likenesses in video game to adopt NIL statutes.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Feb. 2026
There were two specific statutes.
—CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
That halted the camera program altogether because Florida statutes require law enforcement review of footage if a violation is issued.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
Both flagged some examples as posing potential legal risks, under statutes that limit the claims health care providers can make about drugs that are not FDA-approved.
—Sara Talpos — Undark, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
These are the roles that live between law and policy, translating statutes into guidance, writing regulatory text, defining enforcement priorities, and controlling the analytical machinery used to justify major rules.
—James Broughel, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
Evans said investigators were examining whether election improprieties in Fulton County amounted to violations of federal statutes governing the preservation of election records and the knowing deprivation of a fair election.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 10 Feb. 2026
The administration in legal filings has said the agreement from 1997 is outdated and should be terminated because there are new statutes, regulations and policies that ensure good conditions for immigrant minors in detention.
—Mica Rosenberg, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
The decision instead reflected how California, Florida and other states were propelled by Ed O’Bannon’s successful case over the uncompensated use of college players’ likenesses in video game to adopt NIL statutes.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Feb. 2026
There were two specific statutes.
—CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
That halted the camera program altogether because Florida statutes require law enforcement review of footage if a violation is issued.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
Both flagged some examples as posing potential legal risks, under statutes that limit the claims health care providers can make about drugs that are not FDA-approved.
—Sara Talpos — Undark, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
These are the roles that live between law and policy, translating statutes into guidance, writing regulatory text, defining enforcement priorities, and controlling the analytical machinery used to justify major rules.
—James Broughel, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for statutes
Noun
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Straight men, in particular, are only talked about, kept in the background, or appearing as authority figures trying to uphold absurd laws and traditions.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Often, competitive incentives offered by state governments, state laws that are less friendly to labor unions than many northern states and access to major transportation networks are among the reasons behind the industry’s rise in the South.—
Brian Moody,
AJC.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The government insists the case has nothing to do with a free press, saying the defendants used news reporting as a pretext for years to commit acts that harmed China and Hong Kong.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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This one will be a family affair and feature a pair of second-generation Ragweed acts.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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County officials say the goal is to keep plastic out of the environment and align Placer County with similar ordinances already in place in the Town of Truckee and the City of South Lake Tahoe.—
Conor McGill,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, residents have staged large protests as some local and state officials drafted ordinances and legislation seeking to block the detention centers.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The bills include provisions to encourage states and local governments to adopt more pro-housing land use and zoning policies, encouraging them to boost their housing productions.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
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Gauging the personal pain that's hitting those buried by credit card debt and other bills often amounts to absolute disbelief over today's incredibly high interest rates.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The legislation's proponents have called on him to use a maneuver known as a talking filibuster to sidestep the 60-vote threshold for ending debate, but doing so would eat up valuable floor time and enable Democrats to offer unlimited amendments.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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One of the amendments included hospital police officers.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Statutes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/statutes. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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