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Glite Dictionary
to run afoul of

to run afoul of

23 7.9
To get into trouble with rules or people in charge
  • phrasal verb
  • US
translation icon : entrar en conflicto con
  • If you run afoul of the school's rules, you might face disciplinary action.
  • run afoul of the law
  • run afoul of the Establishment Clause
  • run afoul of a patent

It really sounds like Lizzo and team have run afoul of standard.

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Examples

  • Perhaps this runs afoul of the bureaucratic process, but it does not suggest rogue activity.

    Academic text (2008)

  • What was in the trainings that you believe might have run afoul of those kinds of restrictions?

  • Do these laws also run afoul of due process?

    Academic text (2017)

  • A whole lot of others probably have run afoul of the statute.

    Academic text (2011)

  • For the state to twist this into a threat runs afoul of the First Amendment.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Not all government regulations of scientific experimentation run afoul of the First Amendment's commitment to knowledge production.

    Academic text (2017)

  • It can put you in legal peril, and that can include running afoul of criminal laws.

    DoctorRamani

  • According to this, this isn't the first time you've run afoul of the law.

    Jackie Brown (1997)

  • The Justice Department issues opinions to companies inquiring whether planned specific conduct may run afoul of the FCPA.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The San Diego and Milwaukee zoos have run afoul of animal rights activists.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

to get into trouble
vsto run afoul of
200 2.6

Have problems because of what you do

specifies conflict specifically with rules, laws, or those in authority
to run afoul
vsto run afoul of
  • US
14 7.9

To get into trouble for breaking rules or laws

is the same meaning but used with a following preposition to name the authority
to wind up in trouble
vsto run afoul of
  • Informal
1 4.8

To end up in a difficult situation because of your choices

describes direct conflict with rules or authority, not just eventual hardship
to fly in the teeth of
vsto run afoul of
  • Archaic
8.6

To openly go against usual rules or advice

is about entering conflict with authority rather than openly defying it

Antonyms

to follow
∞ 1.0

To act according to rules, advice, or beliefs

to comply
332 3.8

Do what a rule or person asks

How Compliant

to comply
332 3.8
to run afoul of
  • US
23 7.9
to violate
627 4.4
to flout
12 7.9
to defy
178 3.7

Surface Forms

run afoul of infinitive
running afoul of present participle
runs afoul of third person singular
ran afoul of past
run afoul of past participle

Morphology

run + afoul + of

There is a loose compositional link—'run' (to come into contact) combined with 'afoul' (meaning entangled or in conflict) can suggest coming into conflict—but 'afoul' is rare/archaic and the whole collocation is idiomatic in its syntactic framing ('run afoul of X'). Because the key element is not a productive, transparent particle and learners may not predict the legal/authority-related sense from the parts, this is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Run afoul of may come from old sailors. One clear image is of a ship that runs into ropes and gets afoul, or tangled, causing trouble, so the phrase now means 'to get into trouble with' rules or people in power.