legal age

noun

: the age at which a person enters into full adult legal rights and responsibilities (as of making contracts or wills)

Examples of legal age in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The ongoing legal battle has overlapped at times with a separate conflict regarding the custody of their children, half of whom have now reached legal age: Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 18, and 16-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 5 Aug. 2024 The legal age for drinking and smoking in Japan is 20, and Miyata is just 19. Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 26 July 2024 Back in 2005, the town of Needham, a Boston suburb, became the first place in the country to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21. Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 10 July 2024 The law also prevents legal age adults who are not yet 21 from working in other capacities that do not involve nude entertainment, the suit said. Doha Madani, NBC News, 4 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for legal age 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legal age.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of legal age was in 1658

Dictionary Entries Near legal age

Cite this Entry

“Legal age.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legal%20age. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

legal age

noun
le·​gal age ˈlē-gəl- How to pronounce legal age (audio)
: the age at which a person enters into full adult legal rights and responsibilities (as of making contracts or wills)

Legal Definition

legal age

noun
: an age at which a person becomes entitled under the law to engage in a particular activity or becomes responsible for particular acts
the legal age for drinking in this state
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