Meaning & use
make illegal
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Meaning
phrasetransitive
To cause something to be against the law.
Grammar: Takes an object: make something illegal. The object usually comes after 'make' and before 'illegal'.
Patterns
- make something illegal
- make it illegal to do something
The government decided to make the sale of fireworks illegal.
Many countries have made it illegal to smoke in public places.
They want to make illegal the use of plastic bags.
Common combinations
- make something illegal
- The new law makes it illegal to park here.
- make it illegal to do something
- The city made it illegal to feed the pigeons.
- declare something illegal
- The court declared the practice illegal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ban
- To officially forbid something; often used for actions or items, while 'make illegal' focuses on the legal status.
- prohibit
- More formal; means to formally forbid by law or rule.
- outlaw
- To make something illegal, often used for practices or groups; stronger and more dramatic.
Opposites
Word family
- illegal adjective
- Not allowed by law.
- illegality noun
- The state of being illegal.
Commonly confused: make illegal or illegal?
make illegal vs illegal
As an adjective, 'illegal' describes something that is against the law. 'Make illegal' is the action of causing it to be illegal.
Practice
The council voted to _____ the use of plastic straws in all restaurants.
Choose one answer.
'Make illegal' is correct because it directly follows 'to' and takes the object 'the use of plastic straws'. 'Make it illegal' would need a clause after it (e.g., 'make it illegal to use plastic straws'). The other options are ungrammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “make illegal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.