common law
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He also said he understood he had "common law employment rights", adding "this will be better understood by lawyers than by me".
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
It can be traced to English common law, which imposed a duty on parents to prevent foreseeable damage or harm done by their children.
From Slate • Mar. 5, 2026
When it came to creating this new government, rebelling against and pushing back against restrictions we had experienced under English common law, press freedom was seen to be essential.
From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026
The English jurist’s “History of the Pleas of the Crown,” published posthumously in 1736, influenced the development of common law in England, the British colonies and, eventually, the United States.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
Congress had moved gradual emancipation off its political agenda; its decision in the spring of 1790 became a precedent with the force of common law.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
