How to Use law-abiding in a Sentence

law-abiding

adjective
  • Most have remained law-abiding.
    — Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Getaway cars very rarely are known for their safe, law-abiding driving.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
  • If a law-abiding citizen can face this for simply coming home, then no one is safe.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Any good, law-abiding citizens would know better than to put themselves in harm’s way.
    — Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The firm has a sterling reputation thanks to word-of-mouth among their law-abiding clients.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 2 May 2024
  • The bill defines a law-abiding citizen as anyone not barred from owning a gun.
    — Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024
  • Critics accused them of politicizing his death to thwart their rights as law-abiding gun owners.
    — Terry Spencer, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
  • Plus, a war on immigrants, most of whom are law-abiding, pay taxes and do the work others will not do, and for low pay.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2025
  • Dyer believes rigid gun control laws mainly hurt law-abiding weapon owners.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2024
  • The city has banned an arm in common use for lawful purposes by law-abiding citizens.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
  • Crooked Joe has a 40-year record of trying to rip firearms out of the hands of law-abiding citizens.
    — Adriana Gomez, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 May 2024
  • Thousands of law-abiding Americans do this every day.
    — Jared Gans, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Thousands of law-abiding Americans do this every day.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
  • As a law-abiding citizen and a taxpayer, the property is deeded in our name.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2025
  • People blow off steam and then go back and become basically law-abiding citizens.
    — Glenn Rifkin, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Why prioritize a perk for criminals over the needs of law-abiding residents?
    — John McCann, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
  • For too long, our state representatives have turned a blind eye to the voices of victims and law-abiding citizens.
    — Carl Demaio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The foreign freeloaders were totally law-abiding, here to do the jobs Americans wouldn’t do.
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Those restrictions are precisely what froze so many law-abiding ships in the Persian Gulf when war broke out.
    — Charles Edward Gehrke, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Every day, by caprice, the lives of ordinary, law-abiding people—our neighbors—are being destroyed.
    — Erin Neil, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Robinson complained that law-abiding people were being made to suffer because of the actions of one person.
    — Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2024
  • Now Lestat has joined them, parading his vampirism to anyone who buys a ticket and drawing more and more ire from his law-abiding peers.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 June 2026
  • Close to a million law-abiding companies have already complied with the law, and this ruling should be stayed and overturned on appeal.
    — Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Superman, positive, law-abiding, and shaped by the loving Kents, belongs to the day.
    — Josh Weiss, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
  • But the right of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families must be protected.
    — Gayle Pearlstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Many law-abiding shipping companies make this business decision, but this system leaves an opening for those who seek to skirt the rules.
    — Charles Edward Gehrke, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026
  • My father wants to live the rest of his life as a present parent, a supportive family member, and a law-abiding citizen.
    — Mark Curriden, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026
  • Joe Biden’s critics often accuse him of waging a war on law-abiding Americans’ right to bear arms.
    — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 18 Sep. 2023
  • Why should law-abiding citizens have to pay for the irresponsible actions of others?
    — Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 18 May 2026
  • Not in beautiful, free, law-abiding Florida.
    — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'law-abiding.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: