How to Use unlawful in a Sentence

unlawful

adjective
Definition of unlawfulnext
Synonyms for unlawfulnext
  • The sale of alcohol to minors is unlawful.
  • In 90 percent of the cases that went before the supreme court, the court ruled that the changes were unlawful.
    — Richard Schiffman, Scientific American, 9 Nov. 2022
  • But a cease-fire alone is not enough to end deeply unlawful conduct.
    — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
  • The number is down slightly so far this year at 117 unlawful killings.
    — Sarah Ravani, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Dec. 2022
  • On June 15, Jones pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
    — Mike Mavredakis, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2022
  • On the ground, the rule has not deterred unlawful migration.
    — Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2022
  • He was indicted on Feb. 7 on one count of unlawful possession and sale of wildlife — a Class 6 felony.
    — Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2023
  • Facing a lawsuit for unlawful arrests, the NYPD isn’t thrilled with her presence.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024
  • Cox was arrested on June 19 for the unlawful possession of a firearm.
    — Erica Y King, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2022
  • At the time of the arrest, Solano was on felony probation out of Navajo County for charges related to unlawful flight.
    — Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 8 Sep. 2023
  • The suit said that Guetschow’s use of force constituted an unlawful chokehold.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2023
  • Both women also are charged with unlawful use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
    — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, 11 Sep. 2023
  • These acts would be considered unlawful in the workplace.
    — Elaine Mallon, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Aug. 2024
  • Clouden was convicted in 2016 of unlawful possession of a weapon.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2023
  • But, of course, plagiarism on essays submitted to academia is a big problem and can be unlawful in some places.
    — Ocasio Media, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Dec. 2022
  • The men involved cut the locks off railroad cars and cut holes in fences around the warehouses to gain unlawful access and carry out the crimes, according to the indictment.
    — Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
  • On Wednesday, a federal appeals court declined to pause a Texas judge’s ruling that the plan is unlawful.
    — Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Biden also said a new parole program brought down unlawful migration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela by 97% in the past month.
    — John Fritze, USA TODAY, 9 Feb. 2023
  • But the low number of unlawful border entries by Venezuelans only lasted for a few months.
    — Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2023
  • He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
    — Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023
  • The use of a chain on a dog will lead the owner to be cited with unlawful restraint of dog, which carries with it a $250 fine on the first violation, according to the ordinance.
    — Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 29 Aug. 2023
  • Though Dominguez has not been taken into custody, he has been charged with murder in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree.
    — Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023
  • They were charged with with unlawful use of a criminal instrument.
    — Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
  • But those initial charges were reduced in March 2022 to unlawful transaction with a minor.
    — Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 8 July 2024
  • Mays, 23, is facing one count each of second-degree felony murder and unlawful use of a weapon, as well as two counts of armed criminal action for his role in the shooting.
    — Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024
  • Williams was in unlawful possession of a firearm during that incident, the release states.
    — Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 1 Oct. 2024
  • The White House noted Friday afternoon that unlawful border crossings are at a two-year low.
    — Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 21 July 2023
  • On Tuesday, Mays was charged with second-degree felony murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action.
    — Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 21 Feb. 2024
  • Fain has routinely said the union will strike if needed, however Stellantis has argued that would be unlawful under the contract.
    — Michael Wayland, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Zuazo is expected to be arraigned on Friday on felony murder — a life offense — and two counts of unlawful imprisonment, 15-year felonies.
    — Amy Huschka, Detroit Free Press, 18 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unlawful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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