# Law

/ˈɫɑ/ (US) · /lˈɔː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/law
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. official rules of a country

noun · CEFR A2

the whole system of rules that everyone in a country or city must obey.

For teachers: the body of binding rules and regulations established by legislative and judicial authorities within a jurisdiction.

- In this country, the law says you must wear a seatbelt while driving.
- The new law aims to protect consumer privacy by imposing heavy fines on companies that mishandle personal data.

### 2. a specific rule

noun · CEFR A2

one particular rule that has been officially made by a government.

For teachers: a specific binding regulation or custom established in a community.

- The government passed a new law to reduce plastic waste in the ocean.
- Several local laws were enacted to restrict noise levels in residential areas after midnight.

### 3. the legal profession

noun · CEFR B1

the work or study of being a lawyer or judge.

For teachers: the profession or field of knowledge encompassing jurisprudence and legal practice.

- After finishing university, she decided to study law and become a solicitor.
- He spent thirty years practicing law before being appointed as a senior judge in the high court.

### 4. scientific principle

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic

a rule that explains how something always works in nature or science.

For teachers: a statement of fact, deduced from observation, to the effect that a particular natural or scientific phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions are present.

- Students in physics class learn about Newton's laws of motion.
- The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time.

### 5. the police

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a way to talk about the police or people with authority.

For teachers: a collective reference to law enforcement officers or agencies.

- The bank robbers tried to escape, but they couldn't outrun the law.
- After years of living on the edge of the legal system, he finally had a serious run-in with the law.

### 8. a hill

noun · CEFR C2 · Dialect · British English

a word used in some places for a hill that looks like a cone.

For teachers: a rounded or conical hill, primarily used in Scottish and Northern English contexts.

- We spent the afternoon hiking up the local law to see the view.
- The village sits at the foot of a steep law that dominates the surrounding landscape.

## Examples

- You must obey the law when you drive a car.
- The government passed a new law that requires all local factories to reduce their pollution.
- In many jurisdictions, the law struggles to keep pace with rapid technological advancements, leaving judges to apply outdated statutes to novel digital disputes.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.