How to Use unlawful in a Sentence

unlawful

adjective
  • The sale of alcohol to minors is unlawful.
  • In 90 percent of the cases that went before the supreme court, the court ruled that the changes were unlawful.
    — Richard Schiffman, Scientific American, 9 Nov. 2022
  • Three counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm, a Class 6 Felony.
    — Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
  • But a cease-fire alone is not enough to end deeply unlawful conduct.
    — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
  • The claim that the FBI search was unlawful is also wrong, experts say.
    — Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2022
  • He had been arrested for drug charges and unlawful use of a weapon.
    — Paul Best, Fox News, 15 June 2022
  • On Friday the state Supreme Court held 4-3 that such drop boxes are unlawful.
    — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 July 2022
  • If the tenant sues for an unlawful lockout, a judge can order that they be let back in.
    — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 May 2025
  • In exchange for Lee’s plea of no contest to spousal abuse, the charges of child abuse and unlawful possession of a gun were dropped.
    — Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2022
  • The number is down slightly so far this year at 117 unlawful killings.
    — Sarah Ravani, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Dec. 2022
  • The arrest warrant for Brown was unlawful because it was not signed by a judge, the lawsuit claims.
    — Chris Boyette, CNN, 13 Nov. 2021
  • The second man, Kameron Abram, 20, of south suburban Riverdale, faces a single count of unlawful use of a weapon.
    — William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2022
  • On June 15, Jones pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
    — Mike Mavredakis, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2022
  • Kline, off duty at the time of the incident, was charged with stalking, unlawful use of a weapon and assault.
    — Bill Glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 Nov. 2021
  • On the ground, the rule has not deterred unlawful migration.
    — Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2022
  • But those rules were suspended over the weekend due to a court ruling them to be unlawful.
    — Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 27 June 2022
  • He was indicted on Feb. 7 on one count of unlawful possession and sale of wildlife — a Class 6 felony.
    — Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2023
  • The parole decisions were ruled unlawful by the High Court.
    — David McKenzie, CNN, 6 June 2022
  • Valdez and Boyd were also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon.
    — Thania Garcia, Variety, 23 June 2022
  • But the agency has specified no unlawful conduct and charged no one with a crime.
    — Laura Blasey, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2022
  • Facing a lawsuit for unlawful arrests, the NYPD isn’t thrilled with her presence.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024
  • White went on to plead guilty to a felony charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and sentenced to almost nine years in federal prison.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Cox was arrested on June 19 for the unlawful possession of a firearm.
    — Erica Y King, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2022
  • And Strode said in the affidavit that Clark had arrests for unlawful use of a weapon, felonious restraint and assault.
    — Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2022
  • The measure was amended after a judge ruled Sunday that the time limit was unlawful and should be removed.
    — From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2021
  • But there is nothing in the propaganda of the trial in itself that is unlawful.
    — Robert Goldman, The Conversation, 23 May 2022
  • At the time of the arrest, Solano was on felony probation out of Navajo County for charges related to unlawful flight.
    — Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 8 Sep. 2023
  • The suit said that Guetschow’s use of force constituted an unlawful chokehold.
    — Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2023
  • Most judges have deemed the firings unlawful, prompting appeals by the Justice Department.
    — Ella Lee, The Hill, 21 May 2025
  • James was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon after officers recovered a loaded 9 mm pistol equipped with a laser sight and loaded magazine, police said.
    — Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unlawful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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