afoul

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For the moment, it isn’t even clear how shipowners are meant to pay for the new Iranian toll without running afoul of U.S. sanctions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Air Canada has run afoul of its bilingualism mandate in the past.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The City Council ran afoul of the Ralph M. Brown Act by approving a plan for removing 9,800 homeless encampments during a closed-door meeting, according to a new ruling.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

If a trans person runs afoul of the law multiple times, they may be criminally charged with a misdemeanor.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

Surely, Keith, the genius, the man who never ran afoul of anything, couldn’t possibly have been the passenger in a fatal wreck.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel