english
1
general::
illegal
forbidden by law:
• It is illegal to sell tobacco to children under 16. • illegal immigrants • He was carrying an illegal weapon.
be against the law
to be illegal. This phrase is very commonly used in everyday English, instead of saying that something is illegal:
• Driving a car without insurance is against the law. • It’s against the law to hit a child.
unlawful
illegal - a rather formal word, which is used especially when this particular action is considered to be illegal, although there are some situations where such actions can be legal:
• The judges said that the strike was unlawful. • The money was obtained by unlawful means . • a verdict of unlawful killing
illicit
illicit activities or goods are illegal and usually kept secret:
• Marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. • the illicit trade in stolen cattle
illegitimate
not allowed or acceptable according to rules or agreements:
• the illegitimate use of power • The election results were declared to be illegitimate. • illegitimate share trading
unconstitutional
not allowed by a country’s constitution (= set of rules and principles by which a country is governed ):
• The court ruled that the new law was unconstitutional.
Longman-Thesaurus
2
general::
illegal
adverbs
completely/totally illegal
• The deal was completely illegal.
highly illegal
(= completely illegal )
• It all sounds highly illegal.
strictly illegal
formal (= completely illegal - used for emphasis )
• Phone tapping is strictly illegal.
technically illegal
(= according to the exact details of a law )
• This type of boxing, although technically illegal, remained popular until the 1880s.
verbs
be illegal
• It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 16.
become illegal
• The drug did not become illegal until the 1970s.
make something illegal
• He was involved in the campaign to make hunting illegal.
declare something illegal
• The strike was declared illegal on July 7.
illegal + NOUN
an illegal weapon
• He was charged with carrying an illegal weapon.
illegal drugs
• She was found guilty of possession of illegal drugs.
an illegal substance
(= an illegal drug )
• Customs officials found an illegal substance in Smith’s luggage.
illegal parking/gambling/hunting etc
• The fines for illegal parking are likely to increase.
illegal immigrants
• An estimated seven million illegal immigrants are brought into Europe each year.
illegal activities
• They were suspected of being involved in illegal activities.
an illegal act
• Driving without insurance is an illegal act.
illegal use of something
• They were found guilty of the illegal use of confidential information.
transnet.ir
3
general::
adj.
prohibited by law:
Taking another's possessions has been made illegal., adj.
unlawful:
That is an illegal act.
Simple Definitions
4
general::
adj. VERBS be | become | remain | declare sth, deem sth, judge, make sth, pronounce sth, rule sth Their action was judged illegal by the International Court. The sale of these knives should be made illegal. ADV. highly | absolutely, quite, strictly, totally | allegedly | technically Prize-fighting remained popular, though technically illegal, until the 1880s.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary