Meanings
- By the demand of a legal authority.
Shouting "stop in the name of the law" is wasteful when a suspect obviously is fleeing the law.
1991 July, Francis A. Gilligan, Stephen D. Smith, “Criminal Law Division Notes”, in The Army Lawyer, page 523 more examples
The following passage from his autobiography is interesting, as showing the impression which the "barbarous deeds done in the name of the law" made upon his mind, even in boyhood: […]
1850, George Searle Phillips, The Life, Character and Genius of Ebenezer Elliot the Corn Law Rhymer, page 78At the same time, once things are done in the name of the law, it no longer matters what they are, for they are legal, and any further scrutiny of their nature is unnecessary—indeed, may be construed as subversive.
1996, Omer Bartov, Murder in Our Midst, page 69Those soliciting, expediting, or executing arbitrary orders ought to be punished; but every citizen called or seized in the name of the law ought to obey instantly: one becomes guilty by resisting.
2021, Micah Alpaugh, The French Revolution: A History in Documents
Translations
Dutch in naam der wet
- in naam der wetTranslations
Finnish lain nimessä
- lain nimessäTranslations
French au nom de la loi
- au nom de la loiTranslations
Hungarian a törvény nevében
- a törvény nevébenTranslations
Italian in nome della legge
- in nome della leggeTranslations
Polish w imieniu prawa
- w imieniu prawaTranslations
Romanian în numele legii
- în numele legiiTranslations
Cite this entry
in the name of the law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20name%20of%20the%20law
“in the name of the law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20name%20of%20the%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the name of the law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20name%20of%20the%20law.
Source: in the name of the law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.