phrasal verb · academic
run afoul of
/rʌn əˈfaʊl əv/run·a·FOUL·of
task2speaking
to come into conflict with rules, laws, or authorities
Examples
“Many small firms run afoul of tax regulations because they lack proper advice.”
“The scientist ran afoul of university policy and faced disciplinary action.”
“Companies that run afoul of environmental laws may be fined heavily.”
Band 8 sentence
“The project was halted after it ran afoul of newly introduced planning regulations.”
Collocations
- run afoul of the law
- run afoul of regulations
Common mistakes
They run against the law.→They ran afoul of the law.
The company ran afoul regulation.→The company ran afoul of regulations.
Say it for a higher band
5break→6go against→7+run afoul of
Synonyms
violate
Easily confused
fall foul of
“The contractor ran afoul of safety standards and was suspended.”
Related words
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