afoul of
preposition
1
: in or into conflict with
ran afoul of the law
2
: in or into collision or entanglement with
Examples of afoul of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Maddox does not make vague threats toward people who run afoul of him.
—
Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025
There enters the sometimes bitter reality of caveat emptor.
Frank and Grace Milton (not their real names) ran afoul of this very quickly.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration acknowledged violating these laws but said the protections from removal for members of the two boards ran afoul of the powers given to the president under the U.S. Constitution.
—Daniel Wiessner, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
But Illinois lawmakers have yet to provide one shred of evidence that any individual’s benefits fall afoul of the IRS rules.
—Ted Dabrowski, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afoul of
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Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025
There enters the sometimes bitter reality of caveat emptor.
Frank and Grace Milton (not their real names) ran afoul of this very quickly.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration acknowledged violating these laws but said the protections from removal for members of the two boards ran afoul of the powers given to the president under the U.S. Constitution.
—Daniel Wiessner, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
But Illinois lawmakers have yet to provide one shred of evidence that any individual’s benefits fall afoul of the IRS rules.
—Ted Dabrowski, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for afoul of
Cite this Entry
“Afoul of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afoul%20of. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
afoul of
preposition1
: in or into collision or entanglement with
one ship ran afoul of the other
2
: in or into conflict with
they fell afoul of the law
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