How to Use lawful in a Sentence

lawful

adjective
  • But in this case, the deputy exceeded his lawful use of force.
    — Juan A. Lozano, The Seattle Times, 25 Oct. 2018
  • This was not a peaceful visit or lawful protest.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
  • Many of the state’s voters still don’t think the order was lawful.
    — James Freeman, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2021
  • His lawful and just sentence must be carried out as ordered by the court.
    — Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 30 Jan. 2024
  • Often the police are acting in ways that courts have deemed lawful.
    — Arkansas Online, 17 Apr. 2021
  • The three-judge panel found Ridgell's cannabis use was lawful and did not amount to child neglect.
    — Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 6 Jan. 2023
  • The three-judge panel found Ridgell's cannabis use was lawful and did not amount to child neglect.
    — Mary Jo Pitzl, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023
  • Government meetings, to be lawful, must be held in public and be open to all.
    — cleveland, 10 Apr. 2020
  • Also, be familiar with what species of bait is lawful to catch and keep when cast netting.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 4 Jan. 2024
  • Toh explains that the word lawful is important.
    — Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026
  • In other words, there was already a lawful fast lane for short-term tariff action.
    — Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
  • This is often done at night from boats, but also from jetties and breakwalls where lawful.
    — Popular Science, 19 Oct. 2020
  • Harvick said the agency gave lawful orders for the crowd to move back, which were disobeyed.
    — Daniella Silva, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Both are useful and lawful but prone to abuse and potentially lethal.
    — Jonathan Turley, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2021
  • The court did not rule on whether the probationary firings were lawful.
    — Andrea Hsu, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Despite the frontier ambience, the mood in town was lawful that day.
    — New York Times, 27 Oct. 2021
  • The lawful option is furloughs.
    — Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
  • In this case, outside experts have said the shooting appears lawful.
    — Ashley Luthern, Journal Sentinel, 22 July 2024
  • Our work is entirely peaceful and lawful.
    — Emily Brooks, The Hill, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Who has lawful citizens’ backs?
    — Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
  • And at the moment, there is no cop on the beat to make sure that it's all being done in a lawful and transparent way.
    — Ashley Lopez, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025
  • But the court ruled that grace periods for ballots to arrive days later are lawful.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 29 June 2026
  • For migrants, the formula for finding a lawful job is not so simple.
    — Hillary Chura, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Jan. 2024
  • The trial court ruled that an agreement that waived those right was not lawful — a victory for the couple.
    — Crystal Hill, Indianapolis Star, 3 Dec. 2019
  • But even as the justices agreed that the sentence was lawful, the decision was fractured.
    — Derek Hawkins, Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2020
  • This could lead to perfectly lawful content being banned.
    — Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026
  • He was treated in a lawful and fair manner throughout his employment.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The city has banned an arm in common use for lawful purposes by law-abiding citizens.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
  • Peterson also said the county still contends the actions of the board were lawful and valid.
    — Nora O’Neill, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2025
  • Both sides will file more briefs before a hearing in February when the court will rule on whether the rules are lawful or not.
    — Dario Sabaghi, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lawful.' 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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