Break the law means to do something illegal. It covers any act against the law, from driving without a licence to theft. The opposite, following the law, is obey the law.
Want to remember break the law?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
break the law; break the law + by + -ing; broke/broken (past); obey the law; against the law
- Drivers who use their phones behind the wheel are breaking the law.
- The company broke the law by not paying its workers for overtime.
- You can break the law without knowing it, especially in a foreign country.
What changed
First versionI didn't know I was breaking law when I flew my drone over the park.
RevisionI didn't know I was breaking the law when I flew my drone over the park.
The article the is easy to leave out here, but law in this expression means the law in general, the whole legal system, so it needs the: break the law. When you mean one specific law, break a law is also possible: He broke a law he had never heard of.
Break the law is about the law, while break the rules is about the rules of a school, a company or a game: You broke the club rules, but you didn't break the law. Violate the law sounds more formal and appears in news reports and official documents.
Your turn
Anyone who sells cigarettes to teenagers ___ the law and can lose their licence.
Show the answer
breaks — Selling cigarettes to teenagers is against the law, and the verb that goes with law is break: breaks the law. Disturb means to bother or interrupt someone, and it can't be used with law.
Write about a law in your town or country that people often break: say what exactly they do and what can happen to them.
In my city many cyclists break the law by riding on the pavement, and they can get a fine for it.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.