Meaning of law in English

be a law unto yourself
the law of averages
the law of the jungle
take the law into your own hands
there's one law for the rich and another for the poor

(Definition of law from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

law | American Dictionary

law

noun

/lɔ/

law noun (RULE)

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[ C/U ]

a rule made by a government that states how people may and may not behave in society and in business, and that often orders particular punishments if they do not obey, or a system of such rules:

[ U ] civil/criminal law

[ U ] federal/state law

[ C ] We have a law in this state that drivers must wear seatbelts.

[ U ] She’s studying law at Georgetown University.

[ U ] Playing loud music late at night is against the law.

[ C/U ]

The law is also the police:

[ U ] He got in trouble with the law as a young man.

Law and order

Law and order is the condition of a society in which laws are obeyed, and social life and business go on in an organized way.

Law enforcement

Law enforcement is the government activity of keeping the public peace and causing laws to be obeyed:

Several law enforcement officers were sent to Mexico to bring the prisoner back.

law noun (PRINCIPLE)

[ C ]

a general rule that states what always happens when the same conditions exist:

the laws of physics

(Definition of law from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

law | Business English

law

noun

/lɔː/ us

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[ C ] GOVERNMENT, LAW

a rule, usually made by a government, that states how people may and may not behave in a society, and often orders particular punishments if they do not obey:

a law against sth There is a law against aggressive telemarketing.

a law requires/states sth Senate leaders proposed a law requiring rigorous new scrutiny of all future tax breaks.

a law allows/forbids/prohibits sth Checks will be processed more quickly, thanks to a federal law allowing banks to use electronic images of checks.

the laws on/governing sth He plans changes to the laws on bankruptcy.

tax/anti-trust/environmental laws

[ S or U ] GOVERNMENT, LAW

the set or system of laws made by a government in a particular place:

UK/American/Indian, etc. law Promising magical remedies is prosecutable under Indian law.

federal/international/state law The hearing was required by federal law.

obey/respect the law Even the most powerful people have a duty to obey the law.

uphold/enforce the law

break/disobey/violate the law

It is against the law to hire undocumented workers in the U.S.

the law says/states/requires The law requires traders to state clearly what rate of exchange they are using.

by law By law, the maximum donation allowed is $5,000.

under the law Under the law, private equity is taxed in exactly the same manner as every other investment.

outside/within the law He took risks with his business dealings, but was careful to stay within the law.

[ U ] GOVERNMENT, LAW

the part of a set of laws that deals with a particular activity, business, or industry:

civil/common/criminal law

labour/tax/employment law

company/intellectual property/contract law

copyright/corporate/employment law

[ U ]

the study of law or the job of being a lawyer:

go into/practise/study law Her mother inspired her to study law.

law firm/practice/school This isn't just any law school, it's the one that has more judges in more courtrooms than any other.

a law degree/graduate/professor

[ C or U ]

the rules set by an organization that control how it and its members should behave:

the laws of sth Managers know how to promote a respectful working environment while maintaining the laws of the office.

Church law regulates the actions of the bishops.

[ C, usually plural ]

a rule or normal way of behaving which the people who do an activity usually follow:

the laws of sth The laws of good business say you shake hands and make eye contact when you leave.

Out of all the laws of salesmanship, the first one to learn is to get a prospect's name.

Vendors have informal laws of their own about client-stealing.

[ C ]

a rule which states what always happens when the same conditions exist:

the law of sth The first law of thermodynamics says that energy is conserved in any process involving a thermodynamic system and its surroundings.

the laws of physics/science/economics According to the laws of physics this would not be possible.

the law

LAW

the police or other officials who stop crime or catch criminals:

He had to swear he wasn't changing his name in order to run from the law.

Examples of law

law

Constitutions are not supposed to be ordinary law, after all.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

This study was in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

To be more precise, he runs away from the law by defiantly refusing to win the race as the favourite competitor.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There is also the continuing failure of law enforcement to control illegal harvesting, under-reporting and smuggling of the timber.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In other words, although the strict style always carried symbolic associations of law and order, this law had different implications at different times.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In law, in computer science, in mathematics, in economics, in politics, there are many things that have nothing to do with game theory.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I call the relevant facts "law-determining practices" rather than "legal decisions" because the term "decisions" tends to suggest judicial decisions in particular.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The stories revealed laws of mental functioning that, he assumed, would ultimately be traced to neural mechanisms.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Translation (unlike the law, accountancy, medicine, and to a large extent pharmacy) is in many domains an unprotected profession.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Unlike criminal matters and the policing of trades and markets, religious courts had no executive powers in matters of family law.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The uncertain category of "quasi-corporations" is another good example of just how differentiated and unsystematic the law of associations could be.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Readers will welcome the detailed commentary of segregation laws in the first part which makes for a valuable reference tool.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The chief obstacle to such a law in the first part of the twentieth century was opposition from settlers and farmers.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Truncated power laws : a tool for understanding aggregation patterns of animals?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In other words, understanding a particular action requires applying the theory's laws and deriving a solution.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.