fall/run afoul of

idiom

chiefly US
: to get into trouble because of not obeying or following (the law, a rule, etc.)
After leaving home he fell afoul of the law.
an investor who has run afoul of stock market rules

Examples of fall/run afoul of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Musk could fall afoul of federal laws That doesn’t mean Musk is entirely in the clear. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024 The goal is to build AI tools to help artists create new music that doesn't run afoul of copyright, name and likeness rights, the companies said. Tim Baysinger, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024 Studying the dietary preferences of males like Orion, who often run afoul of humans while searching for territories, is especially vital. Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024 Four nonpartisan tax experts told ProPublica and Documented that a political campaign event hosted by one charitable group, which is in turn funded by another charitable group, could run afoul of the ban on direct or indirect campaign intervention by a charitable organization. Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of 

Dictionary Entries Near fall/run afoul of

Cite this Entry

“Fall/run afoul of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%2Frun%20afoul%20of. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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