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Law vocabulary · Legal Systems & Sources of Law

Legal

Meaning in law, with examples

/ˈliːɡl/adjectiveCore term

In law, legal means: Connected with the law or the legal system; also allowed by the law, the opposite of illegal.

In Turkish: hukuki, yasal, kanuni

How it is used

Very common before nouns: legal advice, legal costs, legal department, legal action. After a verb it usually means 'allowed by law': 'Is it legal to record the call?'. 'Lawful' is a more formal word for this second meaning.

Example sentences

  1. Our legal department needs to approve the contract before Friday.

  2. The client wants to know whether it is legal to monitor employees' work email.

Common collocations

  • legal advice
  • legal action
  • legal costs
  • legal department
  • legal system
  • lawThe system of rules that a society enforces through its courts and the state; also a single rule passed by a parliament, or the subject you study at university.
  • statuteA written law passed by a parliament or another law-making body, as opposed to rules that come from court decisions.
  • legislationLaws as a group, especially those made by a parliament; also the process of making these laws.
  • legal personAn entity, such as a company or an association, that the law treats as having its own rights and duties, separate from the people who own or run it.

More terms: Legal Systems & Sources of Law

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.