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View synonyms for outlaw

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 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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

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

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.

While most experts agree that social media platforms can harm the mental health of adolescents, many are split over the efficacy of trying to outlaw them all together.

From BBC

We haven't seen how women would rise up against abortion bans, forcing multiple states to protect the right even as Republican leadership tries to outlaw it.

From Salon

What is one down-ballot item you are voting on that you think is particularly important: Prop 1 in New York state would amend the state constitution to enshrine abortion/reproductive rights and would outlaw, in the same amendment, discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and pregnancy.

From Slate

It’s entirely conceivable that he’ll buy into this new attempt to outlaw a safe and effective abortion procedure, and send the three states’ threadbare case back up the judicial pipeline.

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