stand your ground law
noun
variants
or less commonly Stand Your Ground law
criminal law
: a law providing immunity from prosecution with no duty to retreat for a person who is threatened with harm while lawfully in a place and who uses force including deadly force in the reasonable belief that such force is necessary to prevent their own or another person's death or great bodily injury
At least 22 states now have stand your ground laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, but all US states give wide latitude to homeowners who kill intruders, as long as their fears of injury were reasonable.—Patrik Jonsson
[John] Milburn said that after years of judicial decisions on the stand your ground law and others on self-defense, "It may be prudent for the legislature to review all of them to ensure they are being interpreted and are working as intended."—John Hanna and Heather Hollingsworth
Cite this Entry
“Stand your ground law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand%20your%20ground%20law. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.
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