How to Use unlawful in a Sentence

unlawful

adjective
Definition of unlawfulnext
Synonyms for unlawfulnext
  • The sale of alcohol to minors is unlawful.
  • But a cease-fire alone is not enough to end deeply unlawful conduct.
    — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
  • 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
  • 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 | Crobinson@al.com, al, 11 Sep. 2023
  • Clouden was convicted in 2016 of unlawful possession of a weapon.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2023
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Tuesday, he was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on school property.
    — Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 27 Feb. 2023
  • Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, pleaded guilty this month to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful trespass in Vermont.
    — Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2023
  • The Judge found that each of our claims had a real prospect of showing there was concealment of unlawful acts by the Mail titles and that this could not have been discovered until recently.
    — Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023
  • Pearson was also charged with two counts related to unlawful possession of a firearm.
    — Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
  • Britain’s Supreme Court dealt the government a defeat Nov. 15, ruling that its flagship policy to send migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda is unlawful.
    — Jill Lawless, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Nov. 2023
  • Such bans would be unlawful in the United States under its constitution.
    — Dell Cameron, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024
  • The states also argue the program is unlawful, as it was not authorized by the 2003 law the Biden administration said gives it the power to cancel student loan debt.
    — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2023
  • Shelby Park has been at the epicenter of Gov. Greg Abbott's efforts to deter unlawful crossings.
    — Armando Garcia, ABC News, 11 Jan. 2024
  • The men, who are citizens of Honduras, have been charged with unlawful possession of a bald eagle, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023
  • The indictment of the first son on Thursday contains three charges related to allegedly unlawful ownership of a gun.
    — Jack Birle, Washington Examiner, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Indeed, the Judge found that each of our claims had a real prospect of showing there was concealment of unlawful acts by the Mail titles and that this could not have been discovered until recently.
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023
  • One was charged with assault, and four were charged with unlawful disorderly conduct, police said.
    — Julia Frankel The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Knowing that a fund is going to buy or sell stock can qualify as the sort of confidential information that’s unlawful to trade on.
    — Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 21 Nov. 2023

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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