legal
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.allowed or permitted by the official rules of a country.
adj.permitted, required, or established by statute or common law.
Simple“In many countries, it is not legal to drive a car without insurance.”
In context“The court must determine whether the evidence was obtained through legal means before it can be admitted into the trial.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
adj.connected to the law or the work that lawyers do.
adj.relating to the system of laws, the administration of justice, or the legal profession.
Simple“You should seek legal advice before you sign a business contract.”
In context“The university offers a comprehensive legal studies programme for students interested in pursuing a career in international arbitration.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.following the correct rules of a game, sport, or computer system.
adj.conforming to the established rules or syntax of a specific non-judicial system, such as a game or programming language.
Simple“The referee ruled that it was a legal move and the goal counted.”
In context“The compiler rejected the code because the variable name was not a legal identifier in this programming language.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.a specific size of paper that is longer than standard paper.
adj.referring to a paper size measuring 8.5 by 14 inches, commonly used for contracts in North America.
Simple“Please print the contract on legal paper so there is enough room for the signatures.”
In context“The office manager ordered several boxes of legal pads for the attorneys to use during depositions.”
- 05 B1 Intermediate
adj.being old enough to do something by law, like drinking alcohol or voting.
adj.having reached the age of majority or the specific age required by law for a particular activity.
Simple“He finally turned twenty-one, so he is now legal to enter the club.”
In context“The bartender checked her identification to ensure she was of legal age before serving the cocktail.”
- 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the department in a company that deals with law and contracts.
n.the department within an organisation responsible for providing legal services and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Simple“I need to send this agreement to legal for them to check it.”
In context“After the merger was announced, legal spent several weeks reviewing the intellectual property clauses in the existing employee contracts.”
UsageUsually used as an uncountable noun referring to the team as a whole.
Synonyms
Usage legal team · legal challenge · legal obligation
Learned borrowing from Latin lēgālis (“legal”), from lēx (“law”). Doublet of loyal and leal.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.