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Law vocabulary · Legal Systems & Sources of Law

Loophole

Meaning in law, with examples

/ˈluːphəʊl/nounCommon term

In law, loophole means: A gap or weakness in a law or contract that lets people avoid a rule or obligation without technically breaking it.

In Turkish: yasal boşluk, açık, kaçamak yol

How it is used

Usually negative: people 'exploit', 'use' or 'find' a loophole, and legislators 'close' it. Very common in tax law and in the news ('a tax loophole'). In legal theory, a gap the judge must fill is called more neutrally a 'gap in the law' or 'lacuna'.

Example sentences

  1. The new rule closes a loophole that allowed companies to avoid the tax.

  2. His lawyers found a loophole in the contract.

Common collocations

  • close a loophole
  • exploit a loophole
  • tax loophole
  • legal loophole
  • 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.
  • amendTo make changes to a law, contract or court document in order to correct or improve it, without replacing the whole text.
  • draftTo write a legal document such as a contract, letter or court submission, usually as a first version that others will review and change.
  • regulationA detailed official rule made by a government body or agency, usually under the authority of a statute; also the general control of an activity by rules.

More terms: Legal Systems & Sources of Law

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