Meaning of Idiom ‘Above the Law’
To be above the law means not to have to obey the laws or the rules; to be exempt from the laws or standards; to be immune to or not subject to the law. 1Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.,2above the law. (n.d.) Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. (2015). Retrieved March 11 2023 from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/above+the+law,3Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,4Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
Usage Notes
This idiom is usually applied to persons or organizations who behave as if they believe the laws do not apply to them.
Sentence Examples
“So far, Donald Trump has operated as if he is above the law, but justice is coming.”
“Cops are literally above the law, and we’re just asking that cops are held just as accountable for their actions as anybody else.”
“I think they have their own imaginary interests in mind and have no regard whatsoever for the people. They think they are above the law.” — The New York Times, Aug. 8, 2013
“I’m above the law. I said to the governor, don’t waste any money on investigations, just give me another life sentence for my collection. They don’t mean anything anymore.” — The Economist, Dec. 5, 2012
Origin
Used since at least the middle part of the 1800s.
Similar to ‘above suspicion,’ this idiom uses above in the sense of ‘beyond.’
Above the Law Meaning
Definition: Not required to obey the law.
People often use this expression to say that a person thinks that he or she is above the law, but, in actuality, the person is not above the law.
Origin of Above the Law
It is unclear exactly how and when this expression originated. However, the word law has existed since at least the year 1000, and the idiom above the law was in use by the 1600s.
Examples of Above the Law
In this dialogue, one employee caught her boss stealing. She and her coworker are discussing what to do about it.
Deanna: Emily, I need some advice. I caught our boss stealing money from an employee’s purse. I’m not sure what to do.
Emily: Well, report her of course! Tell the director of the company.
Deanna: I’m worried that because she is my boss, they won’t believe me. Maybe she’ll even say I was the one who stole!
Emily: Luckily we have security cameras! She’s not above the law. I think you should go to the police first.
In the second example, two athletes are shopping for some nice sports equipment when they see a man shoplifting.
Billy: Hey, Angie, look at that guy over there.
Angie: The guy in the big coat?
Billy: Yeah. He just slipped a bunch of stuff from the store into his coat.
Angie: Is he shoplifting?
Billy: Yeah! We should let the store employees know.
Angie: He’s not even trying to hide the fact that he’s stealing. He acts like he’s above the law.
Billy: Maybe he’s shoplifted here before, and no one has tried to stop him.
More Examples
The first excerpt is about someone’s opinion that police officers do not have to obey the law in Chicago.
- This is a disgraceful decision that not only endangers the citizens of Chicago but also further emboldens a department that operates above the law. –Chicago Sun Times
This excerpt is about a city mayor who didn’t nominate one of the people that police officers had chosen to head the department. This is actually against the law. Therefore, another man is accusing the mayor of thinking he doesn’t need to follow the law.
- To Ja’Mal Green, a leader of a youth movement for police accountability, Emanuel’s maneuver is evidence that he does not respect the process put in place by law. “I think that Rahm thinks he’s above the law, and we need to show him that he’s not,” said Green, 20. –Chicago Sun Times
Summary
The phrase above the law describes a person who is exempt from following the rules—or at least thinks he or she is exempt. Usually a person who is above the law has a very high government position or a lot of power.
Contents
- 1 Above the Law Meaning
- 2 Origin of Above the Law
- 3 Examples of Above the Law
- 4 More Examples
- 5 Summary
Also found in: Acronyms, Wikipedia.
above the law
Not required to adhere to current laws, rules, or standards. Many computer hackers act as though they are above the law when they steal valuable data from companies and attempt to sell it online. The city’s elected officials thought they were above the law when they stole money from taxpayers to sustain their expensive and luxurious lifestyles. It doesn’t matter how much money you have—no one is above the law!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
above the law
not subject to the law; immune to the law. None of us is above the law. We have to obey all of them.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
above the law
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
- Mr Clean
- Mr. Clean
- a case in point
- case in point
- play by (one’s) rules
- play by somebody’s rules
- be a steal
- hacker
- toe the
- toe the line
These examples may contain rude words based on your search.
These examples may contain colloquial words based on your search.
выше закона
над законом
вне закона
превыше закона
выше права
выше законов
над правом
над законами
обойти закон
Above the Law
Diplomats are not above the law.
Police responsible for such abuses have generally remained above the law.
Сотрудники полиции, виновные в таких злоупотреблениях, как правило, стоят выше закона.
Unfortunately, many public officials think they are above the law.
К сожалению, некоторые сотрудники милиции действительно считают, что они стоят над законом.
They are above the law; nobody can stop them.
Эти агенты стоят над законом, и никто арестовать их не может.
And yet somehow, AI has become above the law, because a machine made the decision.
И всё же каким-то образом решения ИИ находятся вне закона, так как они приняты машиной.
No State should be above the law.
Ни одно государство не должно оставаться вне закона.
No individual or company is above the law.
Ни одно частное лицо или компания не может быть выше закона.
This shows society that some people can be above the law.
Это способствовало созданию ощущения в обществе, что некоторые лица могут быть выше закона.
No company or person is above the law.
Ни одно частное лицо или компания не может быть выше закона.
No person or entity is above the law.
Ни одно частное лицо или компания не может быть выше закона.
A President who doesn’t cooperate puts himself above the law.
Президент, который не сотрудничает в рамках расследования начинайте, ставит себя выше закона.
Men like Rick operate above the law.
They clearly believed they could do anything they liked and were above the law.
Он наслаждается своей жизнью и считает, что может делать все, что угодно и быть выше закона.
Police officers and their departments are not above the law.
The police and officials are above the law.
The military should not be above the law.
No person, no matter how powerful should ever be above the law.
Ни одна компания или личность, независимо от того, насколько влиятельной бы она не была, не может быть выше закона.
Sociopaths feel that they are above the law, and their actions are often illegal.
Социопаты чувствуют себя выше закона, и их действия часто незаконны.
These people, our wealthiest clients, are above the law.
Эти люди, наши самые богатые клиенты, стоят над законом…
Or that they sometimes behave like a caste that is above the law.
Или же что политики иногда ведут себя как каста, стоящая выше закона.
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Prepositional phrase[edit]
above the law
- (idiomatic) Exempt from the laws that apply to everyone else.
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1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
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‘The law,’ she laughed with scorn — ‘the law! Canst thou not understand, oh Holly, that I am above the law, and so shall my Kallikrates be also? All human law will be to us as the north wind to a mountain.’
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2022 August 26, “Donald Trump Is Not Above the Law”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
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If we hesitate to call those actions and their perpetrator criminal, then we are saying he is above the law and giving license to future presidents to do whatever they want.
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The emperor is above the law.
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You may think you’re above the law, but you’re not.
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Translations[edit]
See also[edit]
- law unto oneself