bylaw

noun

by·​law ˈbī-ˌlȯ How to pronounce bylaw (audio)
variants or less commonly byelaw
Synonyms of bylawnext
1
: a rule adopted by an organization chiefly for the government of its members and the regulation of its affairs
2
: a local ordinance

Synonyms of bylaw

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of bylaw in a Sentence

the club's bylaws bar any member whose annual dues remain unpaid from voting in the election
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This would allow activists (like Saba) to effectively void bylaws in the CEF. — Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026 According to church bylaws, Eric Crawford needed support from 75% of the voting members to be reinstated. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2026 Ursuline maintains the conference has breached its constitution and bylaws in both substantive interpretation and adherence to procedural safeguards. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 July 2026 The lawsuit states that Kuka has singlehandedly caused irreparable harm to Boca View by refusing to abide by Florida law and the association’s own bylaws in order to further her self-serving agenda. — Nicole R. Kurtz, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bylaw

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bilawe, probably from Old Norse *bȳlǫg, from Old Norse bȳr town + lag-, lǫg law

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bylaw was in the 14th century

Rhymes for bylaw

See All Rhymes for bylaw

Browse Nearby Words

by-lane
bylaw
bylawman
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bylaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bylaw. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

bylaw

noun
by·​law ˈbī-ˌlȯ How to pronounce bylaw (audio)
: a rule adopted by an organization for governing its members and regulating its affairs
Etymology

Middle English bilawe "bylaw," probably from an early Norse compound of bȳr "town" and lǫg "law"

Legal Definition

bylaw

noun
by·​law
ˈbī-ˌlȯ
1
: a rule adopted by an organization chiefly for the government of its members and the management of its affairs
2
: a local ordinance
—often used in pl.
Etymology

Middle English bilage, bilawe local law, probably ultimately from Old Norse bȳr town + lǫg law

More from Merriam-Webster on bylaw

Nglish: Translation of bylaw for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All