I. il ‧ le ‧ gal 1 W3 AC /ɪˈliːɡ ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ legality ≠ ↑ illegality , ↑ legalization , ↑ legalese , ↑ illegal ; adjective : ↑ legal ≠ ↑ illegal , ↑ legalistic ; verb : ↑ legalize ; adverb : ↑ legally ≠ ↑ illegally ]
not allowed by the law SYN unlawful OPP legal :
illegal drugs
They were involved in illegal activities.
it is illegal to do something
It is illegal to sell tobacco to someone under 16.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say that something is against the law rather than illegal :
▪
It is against the law to have a gun without a licence.
—illegally adverb :
They entered the country illegally.
—illegality /ˌɪlɪˈɡæləti, ˌɪlɪˈɡælɪti/ noun [uncountable]
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ completely/totally illegal
The deal was completely illegal.
▪ highly illegal (=completely illegal )
It all sounds highly illegal.
▪ strictly illegal formal (=completely illegal - used for emphasis)
Phone tapping is strictly illegal.
▪ technically illegal (=according to the exact details of a law)
This type of boxing, although technically illegal, remained popular until the 1880s.
■ verbs
▪ be illegal
It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 16.
▪ become illegal
The drug did not become illegal until the 1970s.
▪ make something illegal
He was involved in the campaign to make hunting illegal.
▪ declare something illegal
The strike was declared illegal on July 7.
■ illegal + NOUN
▪ an illegal weapon
He was charged with carrying an illegal weapon.
▪ illegal drugs
She was found guilty of possession of illegal drugs.
▪ an illegal substance (=an illegal drug)
Customs officials found an illegal substance in Smith’s luggage.
▪ illegal parking/gambling/hunting etc
The fines for illegal parking are likely to increase.
▪ illegal immigrants
An estimated seven million illegal immigrants are brought into Europe each year.
▪ illegal activities
They were suspected of being involved in illegal activities.
▪ an illegal act
Driving without insurance is an illegal act.
▪ illegal use of something
They were found guilty of the illegal use of confidential information.
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THESAURUS
▪ illegal forbidden by law:
It is illegal to sell tobacco to children under 16.
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illegal immigrants
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He was carrying an illegal weapon.
▪ be against the law to be illegal. This phrase is very commonly used in everyday English, instead of saying that something is illegal :
Driving a car without insurance is against the law.
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It’s against the law to hit a child.
▪ unlawful illegal - a rather formal word, which is used especially when this particular action is considered to be illegal, although there are some situations where such actions can be legal:
The judges said that the strike was unlawful.
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The money was obtained by unlawful means.
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a verdict of unlawful killing
▪ illicit illicit activities or goods are illegal and usually kept secret:
Marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States.
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the illicit trade in stolen cattle
▪ illegitimate not allowed or acceptable according to rules or agreements:
the illegitimate use of power
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The election results were declared to be illegitimate.
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illegitimate share trading
▪ unconstitutional not allowed by a country’s ↑ constitution (=set of rules and principles by which a country is governed) :
The court ruled that the new law was unconstitutional.
II. illegal 2 BrE AmE noun [countable] American English spoken
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ legality ≠ ↑ illegality , ↑ legalization , ↑ legalese , ↑ illegal ; adjective : ↑ legal ≠ ↑ illegal , ↑ legalistic ; verb : ↑ legalize ; adverb : ↑ legally ≠ ↑ illegally ]
an illegal immigrant:
Illegals are still slipping through in unacceptable numbers.