fall/run afoul of
idiom
chiefly US
: to get into trouble because of not obeying or following (the law, a rule, etc.)
After leaving home he fell afoul of the law.
an investor who has run afoul of stock market rules
Examples of fall/run afoul of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Things get messy, though, when his ex (Jennifer Coolidge) and soon-to-be-a-dad son (Lewis Pullman) show up having run afoul of a crime boss (a dastardly Bill Murray) and his enforcer (Pete Davidson).
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 July 2025
Most Americans don’t invest enough to run afoul of the annual dollar contribution limits.
—Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025
Some locations have run afoul of rules about hours, work permits and rest breaks in the past.
—Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
For similar reasons, the Modell Law might run afoul of the Privileges and Immunities Clause found in Article 4, Section 2.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of
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Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 July 2025
Most Americans don’t invest enough to run afoul of the annual dollar contribution limits.
—Russ Wiles, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025
Some locations have run afoul of rules about hours, work permits and rest breaks in the past.
—Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
For similar reasons, the Modell Law might run afoul of the Privileges and Immunities Clause found in Article 4, Section 2.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall/run afoul of
Cite this Entry
“Fall/run afoul of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%2Frun%20afoul%20of. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
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