on the books

phrase

: on the records
outdated laws that are still on the books

Examples of on the books in a Sentence

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.
When asked about the death penalty, Mann said the attorney general’s job is to uphold the laws on the books in Kansas. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2026 California has special laws on the books protecting the rights of renters to hang their laundry outside to dry, said Bernadette Del Chiaro, a senior vice president at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, which co-sponsored the California bill. — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 That means all that gold is only on the books for just over $11 billion. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026 In Pennsylvania, the form of punishment is still on the books — but executions have been halted for more than a decade by an active gubernatorial moratorium. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for on the books

Rhymes for on the books

See All Rhymes for on the books

Browse Nearby Words

on the bone
on the books
on the brain
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“On the books.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20books. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All