lawyer
Americannoun
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a person whose profession is to represent clients in a court of law or to advise or act for clients in other legal matters.
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New Testament. an interpreter of the Mosaic Law. Luke 14:3.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb phrase
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of lawyer
First recorded in 1350–1400, lawyer is from the Middle English word lawyere. See law 1, -ier 1
Explanation
A lawyer is a professional who is qualified to offer advice about the law or represent someone in legal matters. A lawyer can also be called an attorney, a solicitor, a counselor, a barrister, or — pejoratively — an ambulance chaser. A lawyer can handle all sorts of legal matters from drafting wills to patent claims to defending people against criminal charges. Qualified lawyers have to attend law school and pass a bar exam in order to practice law. Lawyer, of course, means one who practices the law. "Law" itself comes from the Old Norse root word lag, which means something laid down or fixed.
Vocabulary lists containing lawyer
"The Civil Rights Movement"
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"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"
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Legal Lingo, List 1
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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.
Lawyer David Gerger said he is withdrawing from representing Eric Kay in his ongoing appeals because the Angels broke a promise and stopped paying his legal fees.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Lawyer John Ray, who represents some of the victims' families, confirmed to the BBC that Heuermann is expected to plead guilty during a court appearance on Wednesday.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Lawyer for the media organisations, Matthew Lewis, said open justice had a therapeutic effect for raw emotion and it was important the terrorism case is widely reported.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
Lawyer Ghimire said he believed such a change was "inevitable", adding that the mere fact the issue was being debated made him "optimistic".
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
I could ask around about Lawyer Cornell’s papers.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
