law
/lɔː/ (bre, ipa) · [lˈɔ] /lɔː/ (ame, ipa) · [lˈɔ] /ˈlȯ/ (ame, mw)
law — noun
- lawsingular
- lawsplural
1. an official rule that a government or other authority sets and people must obey.
an official rule that a government or other authority sets and people must obey.
Taiwan passed a new law to fine drivers who block ambulance lanes.
pass a law
After the factory fire, city leaders wrote a new law requiring safer exits.
law requiring + noun
Mark broke the law by selling fake concert tickets outside the stadium.
Our teacher explained why the noise law ends street music at midnight.
- statute
a formal law, especially in legal writing
- act
often names a law passed by a legislature
- regulation
usually a more detailed rule made under a law
- lawlessness
a state where official rules are not respected
文法句型
pass a law
break the law
follow the law
用法筆記
Use this sense for a specific official rule. Distinguish it from sense 2, which refers to the whole legal system or a field of rules rather than one rule by itself.
常見錯誤
2. the whole set of courts, rights, and rules that a country or group uses to decid
the whole set of courts, rights, and rules that a country or group uses to decide what is legal.
Under Japanese law, renters must get their deposit back after the lease.
under + country + law
The company changed its website to comply with European privacy law.
field-specific law
In family law, grandparents can ask the court for visiting rights.
The judge said the contract was valid in law, not just in custom.
- legal system
a fuller and more explicit phrase
- jurisdiction
focuses more on legal authority or scope than on rules themselves
文法句型
under the law
in law
privacy law
用法筆記
This sense names a whole legal framework or a branch within it. Unlike sense 1, it is not one separate rule that can be passed or repealed.
3. the university subject and professional work concerned with becoming or being a
the university subject and professional work concerned with becoming or being a lawyer.
Ada chose law because she wanted to defend migrant workers in court.
choose law as a subject
Christopher practices law from a small office near the harbor.
practice law
The lecture hall was full of first-year law students before class.
Rin left banking and went back to law at thirty-two.
- legal profession
focuses on working as a lawyer rather than studying
- legal studies
focuses more on the academic subject
文法句型
study law
practice law
law student
用法筆記
Common with study, school, student, and practice. Distinguish it from sense 2, which is about legal rules themselves rather than the subject or profession.
4. the police and similar officers seen as the people who catch criminals and keep
the police and similar officers seen as the people who catch criminals and keep order.
The smugglers ran when the law arrived at the warehouse gate.
the law meaning the police
Everyone in the bar knew the law was asking about the stolen watches.
By dawn, the law had sealed off both ends of the alley.
The gang kept moving camp to stay ahead of the law.
- police
the everyday neutral word
- law enforcement
broader and more formal than this sense
- criminals
the people the police are trying to catch
文法句型
the law arrived
ahead of the law
用法筆記
This is an informal way to refer to police or law-enforcement officers, especially in stories about crime. It does not normally mean judges, lawyers, or written rules.
5. the use of legal proceedings to have judges decide a dispute or provide a remedy
the use of legal proceedings to have judges decide a dispute or provide a remedy.
After the builder vanished, Salma went to law over the missing deposit.
go to law
The farmers stayed out of law and asked a village elder to mediate.
stay out of law
Two brothers were at law for years over their father's land.
The singer turned to law after the magazine printed a false story.
- legal action
the modern everyday phrase for this idea
- litigation
more formal and common in legal writing
- settlement
a solution reached without continuing in court
文法句型
go to law
be at law
stay out of law
用法筆記
Mostly appears in set phrases such as go to law and be at law. Modern everyday English often uses lawsuit or legal action instead.
6. a statement explaining a pattern that nature always follows in the same situatio
a statement explaining a pattern that nature always follows in the same situation.
The law of gravity pulls the dropped spoon straight to the floor.
law of + natural force
Students tested whether the gas law still worked inside the heated box.
gas law
A good engineer respects every law of motion when building a safe lift.
The chart explains the law behind tides with moon and ocean examples.
文法句型
law of gravity
law of motion
gas law
用法筆記
Use this sense for a regular pattern in science or nature. Distinguish it from sense 1, which is about human rules made or enforced by authorities.
常見錯誤
7. a behavior rule that people feel they should follow, even without official punis
a behavior rule that people feel they should follow, even without official punishment.
In that village, hospitality is a law, so no guest eats alone.
law as an expected social rule
At the temple, silence was treated as a law by every visitor.
Among the crew, sharing water became an unwritten law on hot trips.
For Aunt Mei, thanking the cook was a law of good manners.
文法句型
a law of good manners
treat something as a law
用法筆記
This figurative sense describes a custom people feel strongly about. Unlike sense 1, nobody officially passes or enforces it through government.
law — verb
- lawpresent simple I / you / we / they
- laws3rd person singular
- lawing-ing form
- lawedpast simple
1. to take someone to court over a dispute; to sue them.
to take someone to court over a dispute; to sue them.
After the spill, the fishermen lawed the shipping company for lost income.
law + someone
Two ranchers lawed each other over water rights during the dry summer.
law over + dispute
The actor lawed the tabloid after it printed stolen medical records.
When the supplier disappeared, the cafe owner lawed him for the unpaid refund.
- settle
resolve a dispute without pursuing the case in court
文法句型
law + someone
law over + dispute
用法筆記
Very uncommon in modern English. Most learners will see sue instead, so treat this sense as a marked legal or historical wording.