bylaw

IPA/ˈbaɪ.lɔː/
KK[bˈaɪlˌɔ]IPA/ˈbaɪ.lɑː/

bylaw — noun

1. a rule created by a town, city, or other local authority for people in that area

1.nounC1
Definition

a rule created by a town, city, or other local authority for people in that area

Example

The council adopted a bylaw banning fireworks near the old wooden bridge.

adopt a bylaw

Residents challenged the parking bylaw after winter trucks blocked their driveways.

parking bylaw

Common collocations
  • noise bylaw
  • parking bylaw
  • adopt a bylaw
  • repeal a bylaw
Synonyms
  • ordinance

    very close in meaning, especially for a rule issued by a city or town

  • regulation

    a broader term for an official rule, often with more technical detail

  • statute

    usually a law passed by a legislature at a higher level

Grammar Patterns

adopt a bylaw

under a bylaw

municipal bylaw

Usage Note

Usually used for rules passed by a municipal or other local public body, not by a national legislature. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about an organization's internal rules.

Common Mistakes

Parliament passed a bylaw on fuel taxes.
Parliament passed a law on fuel taxes.
a bylaw is normally made by a local authority, not a national legislature.

2. an official rule that a club, company, or other organization sets for managing i

2.nounC1
Definition

an official rule that a club, company, or other organization sets for managing its members and affairs

Example

The choir added a bylaw limiting how long officers may serve.

add a bylaw

According to the club's bylaws, members must vote before selling equipment.

according to the bylaws

Common collocations
  • club bylaws
  • company bylaw
  • amend a bylaw
  • bylaw amendment
Synonyms
  • rule

    the broad everyday word, less formal than bylaw

  • regulation

    formal and procedural, often about how people must act

  • charter

    a broader founding document rather than one specific internal rule

  • constitution

    usually the higher-level governing text of an organization

Grammar Patterns

amend a bylaw

the bylaws of an organization

follow the bylaws

Usage Note

Often appears in the plural when people mean the whole set of rules for an organization. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about rules made by a local public authority.

Common Mistakes

Our team has a bylaw to bring snacks on Friday.
Our team has a rule to bring snacks on Friday.
bylaw is used for formal written rules, not casual group habits.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Bylaw usually refers to a rule made by a local authority or by an organization for its own internal affairs. Ordinance is the closest choice when a city or town issues the rule, especially in North American legal English. Regulation is broader and often sounds more technical or detailed, because it can come from many official bodies. Statute usually refers to a law passed by a legislature, so it sounds higher-level than a bylaw. Rule is the most general word and can describe anything from classroom instructions to formal legal texts. You can say The council repealed a bylaw, but Parliament repealed a statute.

bylaw ↗ordinance ↗regulation ↗statute ↗rule ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bylaw amendment
  • bylaw change
  • bylaw violation
  • municipal bylaw

Phrases

  • adopt a bylaw
  • amend a bylaw
  • repeal a bylaw
  • comply with a bylaw

Prepositions

  • under a bylaw
  • according to the bylaws

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

Bylaw combines by and law. In older English use, by could suggest something local or secondary, and the word developed the idea of a rule that applies within one town or within a group's own affairs rather than across an entire country.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1