# illegal

Pronunciation: say "i-LEE-guhl" US /ɪˈli.ɡəl/, UK /ɪˈliːɡəl/

## Adjective

1. Against the law, or forbidden or not authorized by it.
   - Simple: Not allowed by the law.
   - _The company faced heavy fines for its illegal dumping of waste._
   - _Bribing a public official is illegal in nearly every country._
2. Living or residing in a country without legal authorization; applied to a person, and now widely regarded as offensive. *(US)*
   - Simple: Living in a country without the legal right to be there. Many people find the word hurtful.
   - _Thousands of illegal residents live in fear of being sent back._
   - _Her parents were illegal when they first arrived in the United States._
3. Describing something, such as a move in a game or sport, that the established rules of a game, organization, or activity do not allow.
   - Simple: Not allowed by the rules of a game or activity.
   - _The boxer was disqualified for an illegal punch below the belt._
   - _The referee ruled the tackle illegal because the player led with his helmet._

## Noun

4. A person residing in a country without legal authorization; a label many regard as offensive and dehumanizing. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person who lives in a country without legal permission. Many people find the word offensive.
   - _An illegal who has worked here for years still risks sudden deportation._
   - _The sweep detained more than forty illegals in a single night._
5. Contraband, especially banned substances such as drugs. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Forbidden goods, especially drugs, that it is against the law to have or sell.
6. A spy operating in a foreign country under non-official cover, without visible ties to their home government's authorities.
   - Simple: A spy who works secretly in another country, with no open link to their own government.
   - _An illegal carries no diplomatic protection if caught by the host country._
   - _The agency planted illegals in cities across the rival nation._

## Noun

7. An act or technique that is against the law or the rules. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Something done against the law, or a trick that breaks the rules.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) In stamp collecting, of a stamp or other issue: printed without the authorization of any genuine postal authority, usually in the name of an existing country or territory.

## Origin

Borrowed from French illégal, from Medieval Latin illegalis, ultimately from Latin legalis, and analyzable as il- + legal. In immigration senses, it comes from a shortening of illegal alien or illegal immigrant.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/illegal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).