lay down the law
idiom
: to make a strong statement about what someone is or is not allowed to do
The agreement lays down the law (to everyone) on what the group allows.
When she came home after midnight, her father laid down the law: if she came home that late again, she would not be allowed to watch TV for a month.
Examples of lay down the law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ron makes clumsy attempts to lay down the law, ordering Janice to get on board with the plan at Redeemer, where one of the mothers, Laura Gates (Jennifer Engstrom), speaks in tongues and spends services in an ecstatic trance.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2023
For all of Baker’s attempts at public diplomacy, sometimes a governor has to simply lay down the law and enforce it.
—BostonGlobe.com, 29 Oct. 2021
But his attempt to lay down the law meets equal rage on her part.
—Washington Post, 29 June 2021
Finally, on April 13, the day of the dress rehearsal, Donohoe called Lippman into his office to lay down the law: There would be no performance.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Apr. 2022
With the Browns having discipline issues on defense throughout the 2022 season, Schwartz will lay down the law in the meeting rooms too.
—cleveland, 17 Jan. 2023
The movie is aware of the Church’s connection to power, and the male Church hierarchy arrives right on time to lay down the law.
—Elle Carroll, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2021
But perhaps its biggest asset is the performance of tall, toned and impressively mustached star Navid Pourfaraj as the sergeant of a nearby gendarmerie, whose attempts to lay down the law with the trigger-happy residents of Zalava result in unintended consequences.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 10 Sep. 2021
Officials have already begun to lay down the law on curbing water usage, and additional restrictions are imminent, experts say.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 12 July 2021
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 June 2023
For all of Baker’s attempts at public diplomacy, sometimes a governor has to simply lay down the law and enforce it.
—BostonGlobe.com, 29 Oct. 2021
But his attempt to lay down the law meets equal rage on her part.
—Washington Post, 29 June 2021
Finally, on April 13, the day of the dress rehearsal, Donohoe called Lippman into his office to lay down the law: There would be no performance.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Apr. 2022
With the Browns having discipline issues on defense throughout the 2022 season, Schwartz will lay down the law in the meeting rooms too.
—cleveland, 17 Jan. 2023
The movie is aware of the Church’s connection to power, and the male Church hierarchy arrives right on time to lay down the law.
—Elle Carroll, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2021
But perhaps its biggest asset is the performance of tall, toned and impressively mustached star Navid Pourfaraj as the sergeant of a nearby gendarmerie, whose attempts to lay down the law with the trigger-happy residents of Zalava result in unintended consequences.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 10 Sep. 2021
Officials have already begun to lay down the law on curbing water usage, and additional restrictions are imminent, experts say.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 12 July 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lay down the law.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Lay down the law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lay%20down%20the%20law. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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