outlaw

[ out-law ]

noun

1. a lawless person or habitual criminal, especially one who is a fugitive from the law.

   Synonyms: brigand, bandit, desperado

2. a person, group, or thing excluded from the benefits and protection of the law.
3. a person under sentence of outlawry.
4. a person who refuses to be governed by the established rules or practices of any group; rebel; nonconformist:

   one of the outlaws of country music.

5. Chiefly Western U.S.
   1. a horse that cannot be broken; a mean, intractable horse.
   2. any rogue animal.

verb (used with object)

1. to make unlawful or illegal:

   The Eighteenth Amendment outlawed the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating beverages in the U.S.

2. to deprive of the benefits and protection of the law:

   Members of guerrilla bands who refused to surrender were outlawed.

3. to prohibit:

   to outlaw smoking in a theater.

   Synonyms: forbid, ban, proscribe

4. to remove from legal jurisdiction; deprive of legal force.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an outlaw.

outlaw

/ ˈaʊtˌlɔː /

noun

1. (formerly) a person excluded from the law and deprived of its protection
2. any fugitive from the law, esp a habitual transgressor
3. a wild or untamed beast

verb

1. to put (a person) outside the law and deprive of its protection
2. (in the US) to deprive (a contract) of legal force
3. to ban

Other Words From

• self-outlaw noun
• self-outlawed adjective
• un·outlawed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of outlaw¹

before 1150; Middle English outlawe, Old English ūtlaga < Old Norse ūtlagi one outside the protection of the law; out, law ¹

Example Sentences

It comes after an investigation found illegal blades were still available to buy online, a month after they were outlawed.

From BBC

During his recent campaign, Trump said he would ask Congress to pass a law outlawing sanctuary cities nationwide.

From Los Angeles Times

In recent years, seven states have outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude in their constitutions, including Colorado in 2018, Utah and Nebraska in 2020, and Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a third doctor for providing gender-affirming care in the state, where it was outlawed last year.

From Salon

The names of full-fledged undercover officers — who work deep-cover operations with outlaw biker gangs, terrorist groups or drug cartels — are kept out of department records and are known to only a handful of superiors.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ban
• bar
• condemn
• disallow
• exclude
• forbid
• prevent
• proscribe