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# lawfully

adverb (from the adjective lawful)

«lawfully» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. In a way that is allowed by the law; legally. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#m1)
2. (formal) In a way that is properly allowed by rules or official authority. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#m2)

### In the lessons

Used in formal and legal language, in news, and in exam-style texts about rights and rules. In wedding ceremonies people hear «lawfully wedded husband/wife». In civics lessons it describes what citizens or police may do within the law. Phrases: lawfully entitled, lawfully married, act lawfully, lawfully owned.

### Examples

- The police can lawfully stop a car that is speeding. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#x1)
- The land was lawfully bought by the council. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#x2)
- They were lawfully married in a small church. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#x3)
- You may lawfully fish here if you have a permit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#x4)
- Citizens can lawfully protest in a peaceful way. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#x5)
- The money was lawfully earned. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#x6)
- The shop must lawfully display its prices. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#x7)
- He was lawfully entitled to the reward. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#x8)
- You ought to know that I can't marry you at such a time, or, at all events, can't marry you lawfully. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/#x9)

### Note

Opposite: unlawfully, illegally. Similar: legally. «Lawfully» is more formal than «legally». The adjective is «lawful»; the noun is «law». Spelled with a double l at the end: lawful + ly.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «lawfully» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lawfully/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«lawfully» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/lawfully.html) on Mova free.