INDEX:
1. allowed by law
2. when the law says you must do something or have the right to do it
3. to make something legal
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ ILLEGAL
see also
↑ LAW
↑ CRIME
↑ LET/ALLOW
↑ OFFICIAL
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1. allowed by law
▷ legal /ˈliːg ə l/ [adjective]
something that is legal is allowed by law :
▪ This trade in foreign currency is perfectly legal.
become legal
▪ Divorce finally became legal in 1992.
▪ Over 3,000 gay couples have married since it became legal for them to do so last year.
legal tender
forms of money that are legally accepted
▪ In Maastricht, Dutch Guilders, Deutschmarks and Belgian Francs are all considered legal tender.
legally [adverb]
▪ Fuchs had entered the country legally on a tourist visa.
▪ The committee will investigate whether the funds were obtained legally.
▷ lawful /ˈlɔːf ə l/ [adjective] formal
actions or methods that are lawful are allowed by law, especially as compared with actions or methods that are not legal :
▪ Protesters must only use lawful methods of opposing the government.
it is lawful to do something
▪ It is lawful to employ someone under the age of sixteen if their parents agree.
▪ The FBI will use all reasonable and lawful means to gather intelligence information.
▪ ‘Do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife?’ intoned the priest. ‘I do,’ murmured Carlos.
lawfully [adverb]
▪ When you claim Social Security benefits, you must prove that you are lawfully resident in this country.
▷ legitimate /lɪˈdʒɪtəmət, ləˈdʒɪtəmət/ [adjective]
legitimate activities, organizations, or claims are done or work according to, normal laws and rules :
▪ He is a criminal who runs a legitimate business as well.
▪ Tobacco smuggling into the UK is seriously affecting the profits of legitimate importers.
▪ How can I be sure that an on-line business is legitimate?
▪ At least three of the dead woman’s relatives have a legitimate claim to her house.
▪ The government has refused to recognise the far-right group as a legitimate political party.
▷ above board /əˌbʌv ˈbɔːʳd/ [adjective phrase not before noun]
an activity or a way of doing business that is above board is done legally, even if it may seem slightly dishonest :
▪ He assured us that the insurance claim was honest and above board, but I’m not so sure.
▪ I’m sure Peggy wouldn’t let anything happen that wasn’t perfectly open and above board.
▷ within the law /wɪðˌɪn ðə ˈlɔː/ [adverb]
act/keep/stay/remain/operate within the law
to make sure that what you do is legal :
▪ He makes tough business deals, but he makes sure he always stays within the law.
▪ Security forces must not only act within the law, but must be seen to do so.
▪ Building contractors must operate within the law by ensuring that an acceptable standard of work is carried out.
▷ legality /lɪˈgælɪti, lɪˈgæləti/ [uncountable noun] formal
whether something is legal or not :
the legality of something
▪ The European Court will decide on the legality of his claim.
▪ The union immediately challenged the legality of the decision.
be of dubious/questionable/uncertain legality
when it is not clear whether something is legal or not
▪ The Appeal Court judge said that his conviction was of dubious legality.
▪ This was the first of several actions that were of questionable legality, and which eventually led to his resignation.
2. when the law says you must do something or have the right to do it
▷ legal /ˈliːg ə l/ [adjective only before noun]
your legal rights, duties etc are the ones that the law says you have :
▪ Consumers have the legal right to demand their money back if a product is faulty.
▪ the legal duties of a parent
▪ The alcohol content of his blood was three times over the legal limit.
▪ The clerk to the court will reject any document that does not meet the legal requirements.
the legal owner
the owner according to the law
▪ She now become the legal owner of the land.
legally [adverb]
according to the law :
▪ If there is an accident, the owner of the vehicle will be legally responsible.
▪ When does the contract become legally binding?
legally authorized/obliged/able etc
▪ Is my live-in girlfriend legally entitled to a share of the proceeds from the sale of the house?
▪ Employers are legally obliged to consult trade unions about any redundancy proposals.
▷ statutory /ˈstætʃɑt ə riǁ-tɔːri/ [adjective only before noun]
statutory right/duty/payment etc
a right, duty etc that the law says you have :
▪ When you buy something, you have certain statutory rights as a consumer.
▪ Local authorities have a statutory duty to house homeless families.
▪ Officers have a statutory obligation to report any crime committed by a government employee.
▪ The statutory fine for this offence is $250.
▷ constitutional /ˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃ ə nəl◂, ˌkɒnstəˈtjuːʃ ə nəl◂ǁˌkɑːnstə̇ˈtuː-/ [adjective]
legal, according to the system of rules of a country :
▪ Nobody seemed to know whether the President’s action was constitutional or not.
▪ A court decision in 1954 ruled that segregated education was not constitutional.
constitutional rights
▪ The court will rule on whether the prisoner’s constitutional rights were violated.
constitutionally [adverb]
▪ Although unusual, the Governor’s action was constitutionally quite correct.
▷ according to the law /əˌkɔːʳdɪŋ tə ðə ˈlɔː/ [adverb]
if something is done according to the law, it is done as the law says it should be :
▪ The police must ensure that all interviews and interrogations are carried out according to the law.
▪ Islamic court officials said the men would be tried according to Sharia Muslim law.
▪ According to Singapore law, the immigration officers were within their rights to refuse me admission.
▷ by law /baɪ ˈlɔː/ [adverb]
if something must be done by law, it must legally be done :
▪ By law, the purchase must be completed within a month after the contracts are signed.
be required/allowed by law
▪ The wearing of seat belts in cars is required by law.
▪ Donations must not exceed the limits that are allowed by law.
▪ The government is required by law to provide education for all minors.
3. to make something legal
▷ legalize also legalise British /ˈliːgəlaɪz/ [transitive verb]
to change the law so that something becomes legal :
▪ a campaign to legalise cannabis
▪ Denmark recently legalized marriage between gay couples.
legalization /ˌliːgəlaɪˈzeɪʃ ə nǁ-gələ-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ calls for the legalization of voluntary euthanasia
▷ make something legal /ˌmeɪk something ˈliːg ə l/ [verb phrase]
▪ 57% of people wanted abortion to be made legal.
▪ In November, marijuana was made legal for people with a recognized medical condition.
make it legal to do something
▪ Texas law makes it legal to carry a concealed weapon.
▷ decriminalize also decriminalise British /ˌdiːˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪz, ˌdiːˈkrɪmənəlaɪz/ [transitive verb]
to make an illegal activity no longer a crime, so that the people who do it can no longer be punished by law :
▪ Plenty of men and women think prostitution should be decriminalized.
▪ He has openly said that he favours decriminalizing soft drugs.
decriminalization /diːˌkrɪmɪnəlaɪˈzeɪʃ ə n, diːˌkrɪmənəlaɪˈzeɪʃ ə nǁ-nələ-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ the decriminalization of so-called ‘recreational’ drugs
▷ legitimize also legitimise British /lɪˈdʒɪtɪmaɪz, lɪˈdʒɪtəmaɪz/ [transitive verb]
to change the law so that something someone is already doing, especially something morally wrong, is made legal :
▪ He played a brief part in legitimizing black slavery.
▪ Uganda’s constitution still legitimized discrimination on the grounds of sex.
▪ The National Salvation Front took power, later trying to legitimize its position with elections.