Definition of 'legal'
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
You may also like
Word Frequency
legal in British English
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
legally (ˈlegally) adverb
Word origin
C16: from Latin lēgālis, from lēx law
Word Frequency
legal in American English
noun
SYNONYMY NOTE: legal implies literal connection or conformity with statute or common law or its administration
[legal rights]; lawful, a more general word, may suggest conformity to the principle rather than to the
letter of the law or may broadly refer to that which is not contrary to the law [a lawful but shady enterprise]; legitimate implies legality of a claim to a title or right [a legitimate heir] or accordance with what is sanctioned or accepted as lawful, reasonable, etc. [a legitimate argument]; licit implies strict conformity to the law, especially in trade, commerce, or personal
relations [licit marriage] OPPOSITES: illegal, unlawful, illicit
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
legally (ˈlegally)
adverb
Word origin
MFr légal < L legalis < lex (gen. legis), law, prob. < IE base *le-, to collect > L legere, Gr legein, to collect
Word Frequency
legal in American English
(ˈliɡəl)
adjective
1.
permitted by law; lawful
Such acts are not legal
3.
appointed, established, or authorized by law; deriving authority from law
4.
recognized by law rather than by equity
5.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the profession of law or of lawyers
a legal mind
6. Theology
a.
of or pertaining to the Mosaic Law
b.
of or pertaining to the doctrine that salvation is gained by good works rather than
through free grace
noun
SYNONYMS 3. licit, legitimate, sanctioned.7.
a person who acts in a legal manner or with legal authority
8.
an alien who has entered a country legally
10.
a fish or game animal, within specified size or weight limitations, that the law allows to be caught and kept during an appropriate season
11.
a foreigner who conducts espionage against a host country while working there in a legitimate capacity, often in the diplomatic service
12. See legals
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
legally adverb
Word origin
[1490–1500; ‹ L lēgālis of the law, equiv. to lēg- (s. of lēx) law + -ālis -al1]Examples of 'legal' in a sentence
legal
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company HarperCollins.
We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Read more…
Trends of
legal
View usage for:
Source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
In other languages
legal
British English: legal
/ˈliːɡl/ ADJECTIVE
Legal is used to describe things that relate to the law.
He found he had a legal problem.
- American English: legal /ˈligəl/
- Arabic: قَانُونِيٌّ
- Brazilian Portuguese: legal lei
- Chinese: 法定的
- Croatian: pravni
- Czech: právní
- Danish: juridisk
- Dutch: juridisch
- European Spanish: legal
- Finnish: laillinen
- French: légal
- German: legal
- Greek: νόμιμος
- Italian: legale
- Japanese: 合法的な
- Korean: 합법적인
- Norwegian: lovlig
- Polish: prawny
- European Portuguese: legal lei
- Romanian: legal
- Russian: юридический
- Latin American Spanish: legal
- Swedish: juridisk
- Thai: ที่ถูกกฎหมาย
- Turkish: yasal
- Ukrainian: правовий
- Vietnamese: hợp pháp
Browse alphabetically
legal
Related terms of
legal
Source
Definition of legal from the Collins English Dictionary
Read about the team of authors behind Collins Dictionaries.
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
MAMMALS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
otter
gazelle
wolf
gorilla
MAMMALS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
antelope
mole
wolf
badger
MAMMALS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
camel
fox
lion
otter
Your score:
Word of the day
propolis
a greenish-brown resinous aromatic substance collected by bees from the buds of trees for use in the construction of hives
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
FLOWERS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
buttercup
chrysanthemum
orchid
lily-of-the-valley
Your score:
Learning English: Months of the year
Learn how to speak about the months of the year, and give information about important dates. Improve your English with Collins.
Read more
Learning English: Days of the week
Learn how to discuss what happens on different days of the week, whether you want to make plans for the day or talk about weekly routines.
Read more
Learning English: Going shopping
Discover some useful English expressions to use while you're out at the shops in this week's Learning English blog.
Read more
Sting-Nettle Day
We're taking a closer look at the intriguing expressions and customs that have grown up around one of the most versatile plants out there - the stinging nettle.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more