INDEX:
1. illegal
2. an illegal action
3. to do something that is illegal
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ LEGAL
to take part in something illegal : ↑ TAKE PART/BE INVOLVED (7)
see also
↑ CRIME
↑ LAW
↑ STEAL
↑ COURT/TRIAL
↑ FORBID
↑ RULE/REGULATION
↑ RULE/REGULATION
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1. illegal
▷ illegal /ɪˈliːg ə l/ [adjective]
forbidden by law :
▪ Scott was arrested for being in possession of illegal drugs.
▪ In those days, abortion was illegal.
▪ Large numbers of illegal immigrants crossed the border at night.
it is illegal (for somebody) to do something
▪ It is illegal to sell tobacco to children under 16.
▪ Since 1990, it has been illegal for the US to develop or possess biological weapons.
make something illegal
▪ Gorbachev wanted to make all strikes illegal, but the Soviet parliament refused to accept such a ban.
illegally [adverb]
▪ It is possible, of course, for computer users to illegally download games for free.
▷ be against the law /biː əˌgenst ðə ˈlɔː/ [verb phrase]
to be illegal :
▪ Driving a car without insurance is against the law.
it is against the law (for somebody) to do something
▪ In Britain, it’s against the law to own a gun without having a licence.
▪ Nowadays it is against the law for a teacher to hit a child in any circumstances.
▷ be a crime /biː ə ˈkraɪm/ [verb phrase]
if something is a crime it is illegal and you can be punished for it :
▪ Violence in the home is a crime, just as much as violence from a stranger.
it is a crime (for somebody) to do something
▪ It should not be a crime for people to criticize their own government.
▷ unlawful /ʌnˈlɔːf ə l/ [adjective usually before noun]
illegal - use this especially about something that could be legal if the situation in which it was done was different :
▪ The court ruled that the raid had been unlawful.
▪ unlawful employment practices
unlawful arrest/killing/imprisonment etc
the illegal arrest, killing etc of someone
▪ Anyone who has been the victim of unlawful arrest is entitled to compensation.
unlawfully [adverb]
▪ The teacher claimed that his contract was terminated unlawfully.
▷ criminal /ˈkrɪmɪn ə l, ˈkrɪmən ə l/ [adjective only before noun]
criminal activities/behaviour/offence etc
activities, behaviour etc that can be severely punished by law :
▪ Cruelty to animals is a criminal offence.
▪ It was estimated that Walker had made around £100,000 from his criminal activities.
▷ illicit /ɪˈlɪsɪt, ɪˈlɪsət/ [adjective usually before noun]
illicit activities or goods are illegal and usually kept secret :
▪ Illicit diamond exports are said to be worth over $200 million.
▪ Marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States.
▷ be against the rules /biː əˌgenst ðə ˈruːlz/ [verb phrase]
if a type of behaviour or an activity is against the rules, it is not allowed by the rules of an organization, game etc :
▪ Smoking in the school building is strictly against the rules.
it’s against the rules to do something
▪ It’s against the rules to touch the ball with your hand.
2. an illegal action
▷ offence British /offense American /əˈfens/ [countable noun]
an illegal action for which you can be punished :
▪ Travelling on the train without a ticket is an offence.
it is an offence (for somebody) to do something
▪ It is an offence for a shopkeeper to sell alcohol to anyone under 18.
commit an offence
do something illegal
▪ Davies claimed that he did not know he was committing an offence by accessing the website.
criminal offence
▪ Driving when drunk is a criminal offence.
serious offence
▪ The number of women convicted of serious offences is still relatively small.
minor offence
not serious
▪ Motorists can be fined on the spot for minor offences, such as speeding.
▷ infringement /ɪnˈfrɪndʒmənt/ [countable noun]
an illegal action, especially one that breaks a law that protects someone’s rights :
infringement of
▪ The new rule was regarded as an infringement of the free-speech rights of government employees.
▪ an infringement of Article 86 of the Treaty of Rome
▷ violation /ˌvaɪəˈleɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
an action that breaks a law or agreement, especially one that has been agreed by several different countries - use this about a serious illegal action :
violation of
▪ Any further fighting will be seen as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
flagrant/blatant violation of something
one that is done without any attempt to hide it
▪ The United Nations described the invasion as ‘a flagrant violation of international law’.
gross violation of something
a very serious violation
▪ The way they treat women there represents a gross violation of human rights.
in violation of something
▪ The UK government was found to be in violation of the European Convention.
▷ breach /briːtʃ/ [countable noun usually singular]
something that a company or government does that breaks a particular law, especially when they do not do it intentionally :
breach of
▪ This is a clear breach of the 1994 Trade Agreement.
breach of contract
▪ Workers who have lost their jobs plan to sue the company for breach of contract.
be in breach of something
▪ In future, six-monthly accounts will be required from those firms that are in breach of the rules.
▷ contravention /ˌkɒntrəˈvenʃ ə nǁˌkɑːn-/ [countable noun usually singular] formal
something a business, organization, or government does that breaks a particular law or part of an official agreement :
in contravention of something
▪ Many shops and bars stayed open, in contravention of the Sunday trading laws.
contravention of
▪ It was a clear contravention of EU regulations.
3. to do something that is illegal
▷ break the law /ˌbreɪk ðə ˈlɔː/ [verb phrase]
▪ If you break the law, you must expect to be punished.
▪ You’re breaking the law if you drive without wearing a seat belt.
▪ In many cases, people who have been released from prison will break the law again.
▷ commit /kəˈmɪt/ [transitive verb]
commit a crime/an offence/burglary/murder etc
to do something that is a crime, or that is a particular type of crime :
▪ Detectives believe that the crime was committed at around 7.30 pm.
▪ Most violent crimes are committed by young men under the age of 25.
▪ She later claimed that she did not realize she was committing an offense.
▷ contravene /ˌkɒntrəˈviːnǁˌkɑːn-/ [transitive verb]
if something a company or government does contravenes a particular law, it breaks that law, especially unintentionally - used especially in legal or official contexts :
▪ Penalties for contravening the laws on food hygiene have been increased.
▪ Any interference in one country’s domestic affairs by another country contravenes the UN charter.
▷ break the rules /ˌbreɪk ðə ˈruːlz/ [verb phrase]
to do something that is not allowed by the rules of an organization, game etc :
▪ Any student caught breaking the school rules was immediately sent to the Principal.
break the rules on
▪ Athletes can be fined thousands of dollars for breaking the rules on steroid use.
▷ infringe /ɪnˈfrɪndʒ/ [transitive verb]
to break a law, especially one that protects someone’s rights :
▪ If a teacher makes copies of software for students, he or she is infringing copyright.
▪ Arrangements for widow’s pensions infringed laws on equal pay and treatment.