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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The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Microsoft in a wide-ranging probe that will examine whether the company’s business practices have run afoul of antitrust laws, according to people familiar with the matter. Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 26 Dec. 2024 Netanyahu was always worried that Trump would run afoul of Israel’s interests, like sit down and negotiate with the Iranians over a new nuclear deal. Peter Balonon-Rosen, Vox, 20 Dec. 2024 The case law and statutes make clear that even a technically compliant sweepstakes must not run afoul of other laws, such as those prohibiting gambling. Daniel Wallach, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024 This is not the first time Lillienfeld has run afoul of department policies. Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024 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 18 Jan. 2025.

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