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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But Turner's stances on foreign policy had run afoul of the incoming president, who will take the White House next week with a vision of reshaping the federal government's intelligence and law enforcement capabilities. arkansasonline.com, 16 Jan. 2025 In oral arguments before the court Friday, U.S. solicitor general Elizabeth Prelogar, representing the government, said the divest-or-ban law does not run afoul of the First Amendment. Todd Spangler, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025 The writing was on the wall for Venu last August when a court decision benched the service; Fubo filed a lawsuit arguing that a combined sports service from the three media heavyweights would run afoul of antitrust laws. Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025 Washington not only cut off most of Russia’s access to this system but also threatened to cut off any banks around the world that run afoul of its rules. Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of 

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Cite this Entry

“Fall/run afoul of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%2Frun%20afoul%20of. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

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