| Formes composées |
WordReference English-French Dictionary © 2026:
| above the law adj | (not legally accountable) | au-dessus des lois loc adv |
| | Many politicians think that they are above the law, and should not be punished for any wrongdoing. |
| | Beaucoup d'hommes politiques pensent qu'ils sont au-dessus des lois et qu'ils ne devraient pas être punis pour leurs méfaits. |
| abuse of law n | (law: abuse of procedure) | abus de droit nm |
| according to law expr | (in agreement with law) | d'après la loi, selon la loi loc adv |
| | According to law, the website owner must check all materials published on it. |
| | D'après la loi, le propriétaire du site doit vérifier toutes les informations publiées dessus. |
| | | conformément à la loi loc adv |
| administrative law | (law) | droit administratif nm |
| against the law adj | (illegal) | illégal adj |
| | Smoking marijuana is against the law. |
| | Consommer de la marijuana est illégal. |
| against the law adv | (illegally) | illégalement adv |
| | He was driving against the law as he had just guzzled down seven pints of beer. |
| | | en infraction |
| | Il était en infraction en conduisant après avoir bu sept chopes de bière. |
| amenable to the law adj | (law: accountable to authority) | susceptible d'être traduit en justice adj |
| Archimedes' law n | (physics: force of a lever) (Physique) | principe d'Archimède nm |
Archimedes' principle,
Archimedes' law n | (physics: bouyancy in fluid) (Physique) | principe d'Archimède nm |
| article of law n | (legal clause) | article de loi nm |
attorney at law,
attorney-at-law n | US (defence or prosecution lawyer) | avocat, avocate nm, nf |
| | Most lawyers use the more formal title "Attorney at law" on their business cards. |
Bayes' theorem,
Bayes' law,
Bayes rule n | (statistics: probability of an event) (Statistiques) | théorème de Bayes nm |
be a law unto yourself,
be a law onto yourself v expr | (disregard conventions) | n'obéir qu'à ses propres règles loc v |
| | | être un électron libre loc v |
| blue law n | (legal prohibition of [sth] on Sunday) | loi puritaine nf |
| break the law v expr | (do [sth] illegal, commit a crime) | enfreindre la loi, violer la loi loc v |
| | Every time you buy a pirated DVD, you are breaking the law. |
| | À chaque fois que vous achetez un DVD piraté, vous enfreignez la loi. |
| brother-in-law n | (spouse's male sibling) | beau-frère nm |
| | My wife and my brother-in-law have both inherited their mother's blue eyes. |
| | Ma femme et mon beau-frère ont tous les deux hérité des yeux bleus de leur mère. |
| brother-in-law n | (sibling's husband) | beau-frère nm |
| | My brother-in-law married my sister five years ago. |
| | Mon beau-frère a épousé ma sœur il y a cinq ans. |
| business law n | (set of laws governing business) | droit des affaires nm |
| by law adv | (legally) | selon la loi loc adv |
| | By law, in England, the minimum age for buying alcoholic beverages is eighteen. |
| | Selon la loi, en Angleterre, l'âge minimum pour acheter de l'alcool est de dix-huit ans. |
bylaw,
byelaw,
also UK: by-law,
bye-law n | (organizational rule) | règlement, règlement intérieur, règlement administratif nm |
| | | statuts nmpl |
| | Self-nomination for the board is against the organization's bylaws. |
bylaw,
byelaw,
by-law,
bye-law n | UK (local authority law) | arrêté municipal nm |
| | Local bylaws require pavements to be shovelled after large snows. |
| canon law n | (regulations of Christian church) | droit canonique, droit canon nm |
| case law n | (law of precedent) | jurisprudence nf |
| civil law n | (laws about private matters, rights) | droit civil nm |
| commercial law n | (laws governing business practices) | droit commercial, droit du commerce nm |
| | The law firm I work for specializes in business and commercial law. |
| | Le cabinet d'avocats pour lequel je travaille est spécialisé dans le droit des affaires et le droit du commerce. |
| common law n | (legal system: custom) (système juridique anglo-saxon notamment) | common law nf |
| common-law n as adj | (marriage, partner: informal) | common-law marriage : concubinage nm |
| | | a common-law partner/husband/wife : un concubin, une concubine nm, nf |
| | (Can) | a common-law partner/husband/wife : un conjoint de fait, une conjointe de fait nm, nf |
| | (Belgique) | a common-law partner/husband/wife : un cohabitant, une cohabitante nm, nf |
| common-law husband n | (man in informal marriage) | concubin nm |
| | (Can) | conjoint de fait nm |
| | (Belgique) | cohabitant nm |
| common-law marriage n | (partnership: not formalized) | concubinage nm |
| | When a common-law marriage exists, the spouses receive the same legal treatment given to legally married couples. |
| common-law wife n | (woman in informal marriage) | concubine nf |
| | (Can) | conjointe de fait nf |
| | (Belgique) | cohabitante nf |
| | John had more than one common-law wife, though he was never married. |
| Community law n | (law: legal system of EU) (droit de l'U.E.) | droit communautaire nm |
| company law n | (law: for businesses) | droit des sociétés nm |
| comparative law n | (study of different legal systems) | droit comparé nm |
| competition law n | (law: promotes business competition) (équivalent) | loi sur la concurrence nf |
conservation of charge,
law of conservation of charge n | (electric charge principle) (Physique) | conservation de la charge nf |
conservation of mass,
law of conservation of mass,
conservation of matter n | (principle concerning mass) (Physique) | conservation de la masse nf |
| constitutional law n | (law related to constitution) | droit constitutionnel nm |
| | In Ed's opinion, the government is breaking constitutional law by spying on Americans. |
| | Ed pense que le gouvernement enfreint le droit constitutionnel e espionnant les Américains. |
| consumer protection law n | (law: protects buyers) | loi sur le droit de la consommation nf |
| corporate law n | (business or company law) | droit des sociétés nm |
counselor-at-law,
plural: counselors-at-law n | US (lawyer) | avocat, avocate nm, nf |
| court of law n | (place: tribunal) | tribunal nm |
| | | cour de justice nf |
| | That argument would not be acceptable in a court of law. |
| court of law n | (proceedings: trial) | procès nm |
| cousin-in-law n | (cousin's spouse) | cousin par alliance, cousine par alliance nm, nf |
| | I'd like you to meet my new cousin-in law, Estelle. |
| | J'aimerais te présenter ma nouvelle cousine par alliance, Estelle. |
| criminal law n | (branch of law) | droit pénal nm |
| | Delia works for a law firm that specializes in criminal law. |
| | Della travaille pour un cabinet d'avocats spécialisé dans le droit pénal. |
| customary law n | (law: specific to community) | droit coutumier nm |
| Dalton's law | (physics) (Physique) | loi de Dalton nf |
daughter-in-law,
plural: daughters-in-law n | (son or daughter's wife) | belle-fille nf |
| | (vieilli) | bru nf |
| | My daughter-in-law's casual attitude infuriates me. |
| | L'attitude nonchalante de ma belle-fille me fait bouillir. |
diminishing returns,
law of diminishing returns npl | figurative (fewer benefits for more effort) | rendement décroissant nm |
| | | le rendement diminue |
| | | le jeu n'en vaut plus la chandelle expr |
due process,
due process of law n | (legal proceedings) | procès en bonne et due forme nm |
| | If arrested, you have the right to due process. |
| | Chaque personne arrêtée a droit à un procès en bonne et due forme. |
| due process of law n | (law: personal rights protected) (équivalent) | procédure prévue par la loi nf |
| | (équivalent) | le respect scrupuleux de la loi nm |
dumb cane,
mother-in-law plant n | (plant) (plante) | dieffenbachia nm |
| employment law n | (rules governing working practices) | droit du travail nm |
| enforceable by law adj | (law: officials can prosecute) (Droit) | exécutoire en vertu de la loi loc adj |
| | (Droit) | susceptible de sanctions légales loc adj |
| equal protection of the law n | US (law: 14th Amendment clause) (amendement américain) | égale protection des lois nf |
| error in law n | (law: mistake) (Droit) | erreur de droit nm |
| family law n | (law: for domestic relations) (Droit) | droit de la famille nm |
| father-in-law n | (spouse's father) (père du conjoint) | beau-père nm |
| Note: "beau-père" = père de son conjoint (father-in-law) ou nouveau conjoint de sa mère (stepfather). Seul le contexte permet de savoir de les distinguer. |
| | My father-in-law treats me like his own daughter. |
| | Mon beau-père me traite comme sa propre fille. |
| feudal law n | (law: lords and vassals system) (Droit) | droit féodal nm |
| gag law n | (restricting free press or speech) | loi bâillon nf |
| governing law n | (law: jurisdiction for disputes) (Droit) | droit applicable nm |
| gun control law n | (law: to restrict firearms usage) | loi sur le contrôle des armes à feu nf |
| heir at law n | (law: heir by blood relation) (Droit) | héritier légitime, héritière légitime nm, nf |
| homestead exemption law n | US, usually plural (law: protects home value) (équivalent) | loi relative à l'exemption de la propriété familiale nf |
| humanitarian law n | (armed conflict rules) | droit humanitaire nm |
| in law adv | (legally) | légalement adv |
| | Hearsay is not permissible in law as evidence. |
| in the eyes of the law expr | (legally) | au regard de la loi, aux yeux de la loi expr |
| | In the eyes of the law, a person is innocent until proven guilty. |
| | Au regard de la loi, une personne est innocente jusqu'à preuve de sa culpabilité. |
| in violation of law adv | (against the law) | en violation de la loi loc adv |
| in violation of law adj | (illegal, unlawful) | contraire à la loi loc adj |
| | Ce n'est pas contraire à la loi de fumer dans sa voiture. |
| -in-law suffix | (relative by marriage) | par alliance loc adj |
| | For example: son-in-law |
| in-laws npl | (spouse's family) | belle-famille nf |
| | | beaux-parents nmpl |
| | My in-laws always come to visit us during the holiday season. |
| | Ma belle-famille vient toujours nous rendre visite pendant les fêtes. |
| | Mes beaux-parents viennent toujours nous rendre visite pendant les fêtes. |
| international law n | (law: rules recognized by civilized nations) | droit international nm |
| Islamic law n | (Muslim code of conduct) | loi islamique nf |
| | Islamic law prohibits the consumption of pork and all intoxicants, such as alcohol. |
| | | charia nf |
| issue of law n | (law: for judge to decide) (Droit) | question de droit nf |
| judge-made law n | (law: established by courts) | droit jurisprudentiel nm |
labor law (US),
labour law (UK) n | (law: to protect workers) | code du travail, droit du travail nm |
| | | législation du travail nf |
land law,
land laws n | (real estate laws, collectively) | droit foncier nm |
law adviser,
law advisor n | (law: [sb] giving advice) | conseiller juridique, conseillère juridique nm, nf |
| law and order n | (social discipline) | ordre nm |
| | The government sent troops to restore law and order to areas where violence had broken out. |
| | Le gouvernement a envoyé des troupes pour rétablir l'ordre dans des zones où la violence avait éclaté. |
law code,
code of law,
legal code n | (written system of laws) | code juridique nm |
law day,
Law Day n | US (celebration of law, May 1) (États-Unis : journée du 1er mai) | Journée du droit nf |
| law enforcement n | (police, anti-crime) | police nf |
| | My father worked for years in law enforcement. |
| | Mon père a travaillé dans la police pendant des années. |
law enforcement,
law-enforcement n as adj | (of police, anti-crime) (officier) | de police loc adj |
| | She works as a law enforcement officer. |
| law enforcement agency n | (police, etc.) | agence du maintien de l'ordre nf |
| law firm n | (company of lawyers) | cabinet d'avocats nm |
| | When she's finished law school she's hoping to find a job in a well-known law firm. |
| | Elle espère trouver un emploi dans un cabinet d'avocat célèbre après avoir fini ses études de droit. |
| law of averages n | (probability) | loi des probabilités, loi des moyennes, loi des grands nombres nf |
| | We can predict many natural phenomena according to the law of averages. |
| | Nous pouvons prédire de nombreux phénomènes naturels selon la loi des probabilités. |
law of independent assortment,
Mendel's second law,
Mendel's law n | (genetics) (Génétique) | loi d'assortiment indépendant nf |
law of mass action,
mass action law n | (chemistry) (chimie) | loi d'action de masse nf |
law of Moses,
Law of Moses n | (ancient Hebrew law) | loi mosaïque nf |
| | All good Jews follow the law of Moses. |
| | Tout juif pratiquant doit observer la loi mosaïque. |
law of motion,
Newton's law of motion n | (physics) (Physique) | loi du mouvement, loi du mouvement de Newton nf |
| law of procedure n | (law: rules of practice before court) | droit procédural nm |
law of segregation,
Mendel's first law,
Mendel's law n | (genetics) (Génétique) | loi de ségrégation (des caractères) nf |
| the law of the jungle n | (survival of the strongest) | la loi de la jungle nm |
| | By the law of the jungle, the lion is king. |
| | Selon la loi de la jungle, le lion est roi. |
| law of the land n | (all of a country's laws) | loi du pays, législation du pays nf |
| | | lois du pays nfpl |
| law of thermodynamics n | (physics: law relating heat and mechanical energy) | principe de la thermodynamique nm |
| | One of the laws of thermodynamics maintains that it is impossible to cool something to the temperature of absolute zero. |
| law office n | (lawyer or lawyers' premises) | cabinet d'avocat, cabinet d'avocats nm |
| law reform n | (overhaul of legal regulations) | réforme de la loi, réforme du droit nf |
| law school n | (university where law degrees are taught) | faculté de droit nf |
| | He graduated from law school with full honours. |
| | Il a été diplômé de la faculté de droit avec mention. |