Romeo and Juliet law

noun

A law that reduces the penalty for voluntary sexual intercourse that would otherwise be statutory rape, typically where the age gap between the participants is no more than a few years.

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Meanings

nounRomeo and Juliet law (plural Romeo and Juliet laws)

plural Romeo and Juliet laws

  1. A law that reduces the penalty for voluntary sexual intercourse that would otherwise be statutory rape, typically where the age gap between the participants is no more than a few years.

Origin

From the names of the young lovers in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

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Cite this entry
APA

Romeo and Juliet law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Romeo%20and%20Juliet%20law

MLA

“Romeo and Juliet law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Romeo%20and%20Juliet%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Romeo and Juliet law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Romeo%20and%20Juliet%20law.

Source: Romeo and Juliet law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.