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illegally

/ɪˈligəli/
/ɪˈligəli/
IPA guide

If you break the law while you're doing something, you've done it illegally. Parking illegally in a wheelchair-accessible spot can mean a $300 ticket in some states.

Whether someone steals candy from a store, climbs over a fence marked no trespassing, or sets off fireworks in the grocery store, they've acted illegally. Doing something that's unkind or ethically wrong doesn't mean you've done it illegally — for that, you have to break a law. This adverb is from illegal, which is formed by adding il-, "not," to legal.

Definitions of illegally
  1. adverb
    in an illegal manner
    “they dumped the waste illegally
    synonyms: illicitly, lawlessly
Pronunciation
US
/ɪˈligəli/
UK
/ɪˈligəli/
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