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.

Cailee Spaeny gives Ripley vibes as part of a group of young explorers trying to leave their world who run afoul of freaky Facehuggers and a chilling Xenomorph. —

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024 But government watchdogs say the family’s overlapping work in the private and public sector may have run afoul of conflict of interest guardrails as well as city and state laws on procurement lobbying. —

Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation