Showing results for by rights. Search instead for By+rights.

by rights

Idioms

Justly, in fairness, as in By rights he should have been chosen first. Originally put as by right, this term was first recorded about 1315.

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.

Minister of intelligence since 2021, he was accused by rights groups of playing a key role in the suppression of protests.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

As mayor he was criticised by rights groups for using the police against street vendors in a heavy-handed manner, as he worked to keep roads clear in the capital and crack down on unlicensed businesses.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

But the trial has been strongly criticised by rights groups.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had been told that "executions" had stopped in Iran, amid reports by rights groups that Iranian authorities were brutally supressing protests against the government.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

“On such an expedition the theft of food comes next to murder as a crime, and should by rights be punished as such,” Roosevelt wrote.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023