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
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Companies that run afoul of this provision could be assessed astronomical fines.
—
Emily Baker-White, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
Now, some are suggesting that Welch may have run afoul of the Securities and Exchange Commission, an independent oversight agency that regulates financial markets, including cryptocurrency.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
Too bad that luxury isn’t available to so many other parents who watch helplessly as their children run afoul of the law — and pay the legal consequence.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2024
Any Israeli cultural institution that has had to rely on state funding, in any form or at any point, could conceivably fall afoul of this criterion.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of 
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Emily Baker-White, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
Now, some are suggesting that Welch may have run afoul of the Securities and Exchange Commission, an independent oversight agency that regulates financial markets, including cryptocurrency.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
Too bad that luxury isn’t available to so many other parents who watch helplessly as their children run afoul of the law — and pay the legal consequence.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2024
Any Israeli cultural institution that has had to rely on state funding, in any form or at any point, could conceivably fall afoul of this criterion.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of
Dictionary Entries Near 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 23 Dec. 2024.
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