afouladverb
uk/əˈfaʊl/us/əˈfaʊl/run/fall afoul of sth/sb
to experience problems, punishment, or harm because you do not obey a rule or disagree with a powerful organization, group, or person:
He was 15 when he first ran afoul of the law.
At one point Seeger fell afoul of the US government for his anti-war actions.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Obeying & breaking the law
- abide
- adhere
- bend the law/rules idiom
- breach
- break
- breaker
- clean
- clean up your act idiom
- commit
- compliant
- conform
- contravene
- disobey
- hold
- observe
- perpetrate
- respect
- shalt
- venal
- violate
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Arguing & disagreeing