Adjective
She has a lot of legal problems.
Do you know your legal rights?
The amount of alcohol in his blood exceeded the legal limit.
What you did was not legal.
“Is it legal to fish in this river?” “Yes, it’s perfectly legal.”
The referee said it was a legal play.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Although abortions are clearly legal under Massachusetts law, Hart Holder, of Reproductive Equity Now, cautioned that federal decisions can supersede those protections.
—
Jessica Bartlett, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023
Foster was openly carrying an AK-47 across his chest, which is legal in Texas.
—Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2023
The plaintiffs’ legal team has clashed with the agency’s lawyers, who balked at releasing documents and other information.
—Dara Kam, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2023
The payments themselves were legal and made with Trump’s own resources.
—Dan Mclaughlin, National Review, 6 Apr. 2023
The Supreme Court typically waits until there is a full airing of legal issues in the lower courts before taking up a dispute.
—Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023
Green’s only options for remaining out of prison now are clemency or parole, according to his legal team.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 6 Apr. 2023
Either scenario could provide a reason for the Trump legal team to seek further delay.
—Ann E. Marimow, Rosalind S. Helderman And Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Apr. 2023
The concerns raised in the Daily and later by scientific image experts, who found figures in the paper that appeared to have been duplicated, prompted Genentech’s legal team to take a close look at the work that led to the 2009 study by interviewing current and former employees.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 6 Apr. 2023
Financing, production and distribution legal handled by Eugene Pikulin at 3B Law.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 24 Feb. 2023
Truthful information disseminated by the news media about matters of public importance carry the highest legal of protection under the First Amendment.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 21 June 2022
As a result, guns are banned in the area, even by those who have legal concealed carry permits.
—Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2020
Many of Florida’s marijuana dispensaries were not ready when Gov. Ron DeSantis made smokable medical marijuana legal in March.
—Marcia Heroux Pounds, sun-sentinel.com, 2 Dec. 2019
At the very end of the show, rapper Rico Nasty strutted out with a should-be-legal rolled piece of paper between her fingers.
—Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2019
American Media agreed to give Ms. McDougal back the rights to her story as part of an April legal settlement, but the company insisted that the Men’s Journal cover go forward as planned.
—WSJ, 27 June 2018
With recreational or medical marijuana legal in 29 states and the nation’s capital, the pot industry employed 121,000 people in the U.S. last year.
—David Goldstein And Anita Chabria, sacbee, 8 June 2018
An extravagant legal row this week suggests there may be little time left for complacency.
—The Economist, 7 June 2018
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘legal.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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- British
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This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
adjective
permitted by law; lawful: Such acts are not legal.
of or relating to law; connected with the law or its administration: the legal profession.
appointed, established, or authorized by law; deriving authority from law.
recognized by law rather than by equity.
of, relating to, or characteristic of the profession of law or of lawyers: a legal mind.
Theology.
- of or relating to the Mosaic Law.
- of or relating to the doctrine that salvation is gained by good works rather than through free grace.
noun
a person who acts in a legal manner or with legal authority.
Usually legals . a foreigner who has entered or resides in a country legally.
a person whose status is protected by law.
a fish or game animal, within specified size or weight limitations, that the law allows to be caught and kept during an appropriate season.
a foreigner who conducts espionage against a host country while working there in a legitimate capacity, often in the diplomatic service.
legals, authorized investments that may be made by fiduciaries, as savings banks or trustees.
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Origin of legal
First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin lēgālis “of the law,” equivalent to lēg- (stem of lēx ) “law” + -ālis adjective suffix; see -al1
OTHER WORDS FROM legal
le·gal·ly, adverbpost·le·gal, adjectivepre·le·gal, adjectivepseu·do·le·gal, adjective
quasi-legal, adjectivequa·si-le·gal·ly, adverbun·le·gal, adjectiveun·le·gal·ly, adverbun·le·gal·ness, noun
Words nearby legal
leftwards, left wing, lefty, leg, legacy, legal, legal age, legal aid, legal aid society, legal cap, legal dictionary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to legal
constitutional, contractual, fair, juridical, lawful, legitimate, proper, statutory, valid, acknowledged, allowed, authorized, card-carrying, chartered, clean, condign, decreed, due, enforced, enjoined
How to use legal in a sentence
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She writes with the ease of a novelist rather than the characteristic precision of a legal scholar.
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Another proposal would prohibit cars from blocking the box at intersections, which is legal in some parts of the state.
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In general, ESG stands for “environment-social-governance” and comprises a set of principles that touches on issues from diversity and board structures to labor relations, supply chain, data ethics, environmental impact and legal requirements.
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Companies don’t share that info, in part because of the concern about legal consequences like the ones Trek is facing now.
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Jeff Kosseff, a former reporter turned lawyer and legal scholar, has emerged as one of the leading experts on the 1996 law and is author of the aptly titled book “The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet.”
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The most notorious states are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where death is an acceptable legal remedy.
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Weeks retained an unparalleled legal team, which included bitter political rivals Hamilton and Burr.
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What if there were a legal dispute between the foreign investor and his or her Egyptian partners or collaborators?
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However, legal issues are only one of the things standing between an ex-prisoner and a job.
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The Supreme Court eventually stepped in and ended legal segregation in the landmark 1954 decision, Brown v. Board of Education.
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He was guilty of the weakness of taking refuge in what is called, I believe, in legal phrase, a side-issue.
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The legal framework of the State and of obedience to the law in which industrial society is set threatens to break asunder.
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The seizure was made in legal form; the banker, who lost nothing, was bound to comply with it.
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This little book contains many of the legal principles that are in most frequent use, as readers will learn who carefully read it.
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The law only gave you the right to proceed against him to recover money damages for the legal injury.
British Dictionary definitions for legal
adjective
established by or founded upon law; lawful
of or relating to law
recognized, enforceable, or having a remedy at law rather than in equity
relating to or characteristic of the profession of law
Derived forms of legal
legally, adverb
Word Origin for legal
C16: from Latin lēgālis, from lēx law
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Legal means having to do with the law, or following the law. Attorneys work in the legal profession but may not always be so lucky as to find a legal parking spot near their office.
A legal scholar is someone who studies law. A legal search and seizure is when the cops come to you house with a warrant. A legal apartment is one that meets building code and is in an appropriately zoned neighborhood. Legal’s opposite is illegal, which means against the law.
Definitions of legal
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adjective
established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
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Synonyms:
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lawful
conformable to or allowed by law
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court-ordered
ordered by a court of law
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judicial
decreed by or proceeding from a court of justice
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jural, juristic
of or relating to law or to legal rights and obligations
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lawful, legitimate, licit
authorized, sanctioned by, or in accordance with law
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ratified, sanctioned
formally approved and invested with legal authority
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statutory
prescribed or authorized by or punishable under a statute
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sub judice
before a judge or court of law; awaiting judicial determination
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legitimate
of marriages and offspring; recognized as lawful
see moresee less-
Antonyms:
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illegal
prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules
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unlawful
contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law
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amerciable
of a crime or misdemeanor; punishable by a fine set by a judge
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banned, prohibited
forbidden by law
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black, black-market, bootleg, contraband, smuggled
distributed or sold illicitly
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criminal, felonious
involving or being or having the nature of a crime
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dirty, ill-gotten
obtained illegally or by improper means
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embezzled, misappropriated
taken for your own use in violation of a trust
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extrajudicial
beyond the usual course of legal proceedings; legally unwarranted
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extralegal, nonlegal
not regulated or sanctioned by law
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hot
recently stolen or smuggled
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illegitimate, illicit, outlaw, outlawed, unlawful
contrary to or forbidden by law
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ineligible
prohibited by official rules
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misbranded, mislabeled
branded or labeled falsely and in violation of statutory requirements
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penal, punishable
subject to punishment by law
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under-the-counter
done or sold illicitly and secretly;
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unratified
lacking legal authority
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illegitimate
of marriages and offspring; not recognized as lawful
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irregular
contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
- show more antonyms…
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lawful
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adjective
of or relating to jurisprudence
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adjective
relating to or characteristic of the profession of law
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adjective
allowed by official rules
“a
legal pass receiver”-
Synonyms:
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eligible
qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen
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eligible
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adjective
having legal efficacy or force
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synonyms:
effectual, sound
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valid
well grounded in logic or truth or having legal force
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valid
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘legal’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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правовой, юридический, законный, легальный, узаконенный
прилагательное ↓
- юридический, правовой
- судебный
legal action — судебный иск 
legal costs — судебные издержки
legal decision — решение суда
legal procedure — судопроизводство
to institute /to take/ legal proceedings against smb. — начать судебный процесс против кого-л.
- законный; дозволенный законом; легальный
of legal force — имеющий законную силу
legal owner — законный владелец
legal claim — законное право требования
legal standing — законное положение
- рел. основанный на Моисеевом законе
legal beagle, legal eagle — амер. сл. юрист-пройдоха
существительное
- обыкн. фин. ценные бумаги, которые по закону могут быть приобретены доверительными учреждениями
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
the legal might of the government — правовая мощь правительства
the country’s corrupt legal system — коррумпированная правовая система страны
the inequities of the legal system — несправедливость правовой системы
a single legal code for all — единое законодательство для всех
to bring legal action against smb. — возбудить дело против кого-л.
in legal contemplation — с точки зрения права, в юридическом отношении
lawful custody, legal custody — законное содержание под стражей
to correct a legal deficiency — восполнить юридический пробел
legal expense — официальные затраты
legal acumen — юридическая проницательность
a legal formula — юридическая формулировка
to handle legal matter — рассматривать, разбирать судебное дело
Примеры с переводом
What I did was perfectly legal.
То, что я сделал, было абсолютно законно.
Their legal rights are virtually nil.
Их законные права практически ничтожны.
He brought legal action against his neighbour.
Он затеял процесс против своего соседа.
They paid a fortune in legal fees.
Они заплатили уйму денег за судебные издержки.
The sale was perfectly legal.
Продажа была совершенно легальной.
What you did was not legal.
Ваше деяние было незаконным.
Do you know your legal rights?
Знаете ли вы свои законные права?
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
‘in venter’ is legal terminology for ‘conceived but not yet born’ 
…a provisory legal adviser who will be replaced by a court-appointed public defender…
…a defense lawyer uses not only legal arguments but also moral suasion to appeal to a jury’s sense of right and wrong…
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
illegal — незаконный, нелегальный, беззаконный
legalist — законник
legality — законность, легальность, приверженность букве закона
legalize — легализовать, узаконивать
legally — законно, легально
legalism — приверженность букве закона
legalese — юридический жаргон, невразумительная юридическая терминология, юридическая
They point out that in the legal sense put forth by the constitution there is no reason to think that a fetus is a *legal* person. ❋ Unknown (2007)
Besides, do these illegals really want guest worker programs, or just to get all the benefits of citizenship without going through the legal process like the *legal* immigrants? ❋ Unknown (2006)
The present Law Officers of the Crown were rather startled at the intention of departing from the precedent of George IV. ‘s reign, on seeing the legal opinions of their predecessors; they did not differ from the _legal_ doctrines laid down by them, but were not very well satisfied on the point of discretion and policy. ❋ Queen Of Great Britain Victoria (1860)
The term legal monopoly is avoided because the means used are often illegal or non-legal. ❋ Amitai Etzioni (1988)
Instead, the version of the agreement that emerged contained the phrase «legal force»—a broader term that is seen as offering governments more leeway to identify how to curb emissions. ❋ Patrick McGroarty (2011)
It is important to consider how interpretation, as characterised in subsection 2.2 above, fits into the discussion of the ambit of the term legal reasoning in the opening section of this entry. ❋ Dickson, Julie (2005)
Article 4, Section 2, (the third paragraph,) the term «legally» was struck out; and the words, «under the laws thereof,» inserted after the word «State,» in compliance with the wish of some who thought the term legal equivocal, and favoring the idea that SLAVERY was ❋ American Anti-Slavery Society (N/A)
Other countries want to include the phrase «legal outcome,» language rejected by EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard as too vague. ❋ Unknown (2011)
But the EU objected to the late addition of the phrase «legal outcome,» which it said would allow countries to wriggle out of commitments. ❋ Unknown (2011)
It appears to me that the phrase legal translates into a DRM ridden file that is only partially complete, or at best a good sample of what your actually looking for. ❋ Unknown (2010)
The term legal tender does not in itself govern the acceptability of banknotes in transactions. ❋ Unknown (2009)
After the execution, Davis’s lawyers lamented what one described as a «legal lynching». ❋ Unknown (2011)
And we also worked on what we call legal literacy, getting communities to become aware of laws that are on the books to protect girls and also empowering them to take action to make sure that those laws are in force. ❋ Unknown (2011)
With extensive South America experience, Kaufman has been figuratively screaming for the anti-corruption movement to take notice of what he terms legal corruption or legal acts committed by private entities to gain undue influence. ❋ Unknown (2010)
Israel’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Daniel Carmon, countered that the flotilla’s intention was to break what he described as a legal maritime blockade on Gaza and that some of the activists had «known terrorist history.» ❋ Unknown (2010)
[Damn], it’s [about time] [the Olsen twins] became legal. ❋ Bernie (2004)
Dude, I’ve [done] this [a thousand] [times], it’s totally legal. ❋ Kim (2004)
[Legalize it]! ❋ Obsidian FatKid (2003)
See [attorney], [legislator], and [conflict of interest]. ❋ Downstrike (2004)
«[Apparently] [ass rape] is not legal» ❋ BONGO BILL (2004)
i am [allowed] that [substance] its legal, im safe [br]á ❋ Ya Know 
(2004)
A) guy1: «damn she’s hot, [i’d tap that]»
guy2: «dude there’s no way [she’s legal]»
guy1: «Fucking [jail bait]»
B) Sometimes its legal to kill someone…sweet ❋ Alec81484 (2004)
Because of their tight [grip] on politicians, big [corporations] influence legistlation and are allowed to [behave] in ways that are not legal for ordinary citizens. ❋ Pylbug (2004)
Hey! Your [bf] is so legal!
[Going out] with [friends] is so legal! ❋ Douglas Batista (2006)
Mom: Until you can legally drive, [NO CAR]!
Son: [dayam] mom, why you gotta [play me] like that? ❋ Erica (2004)