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
Everyone with opinions left of center or anyone who’d ever run afoul of the Red Scare communist purity-testers was targeted.
—
Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Under that section, McMahon is to pay special attention to any programs that might fall afoul of the administration’s earlier orders on diversity, equity and inclusion – or DEI – initiatives.
—Joshua Cowen, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2025
Some of these options might run afoul of the special budget process rules.
—Margot Sanger-Katz, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Moreover, many investors attempt to offset losses through tax-loss harvesting but inadvertently fall afoul of the IRS’ wash-sale rule.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of
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Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Under that section, McMahon is to pay special attention to any programs that might fall afoul of the administration’s earlier orders on diversity, equity and inclusion – or DEI – initiatives.
—Joshua Cowen, The Conversation, 12 Mar. 2025
Some of these options might run afoul of the special budget process rules.
—Margot Sanger-Katz, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
Moreover, many investors attempt to offset losses through tax-loss harvesting but inadvertently fall afoul of the IRS’ wash-sale rule.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 7 Apr. 2025.
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