barrister
Americannoun
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barristers
plural
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(in England) a lawyer who is a member of one of the Inns of Court and who has the privilege of pleading in the higher courts.
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Informal. any lawyer.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of barrister
1535–45; derivative of bar 1, perhaps after obsolete legister lawyer or minister
Explanation
The Brits and Canadians prefer to say barrister instead of "lawyer," but they mean the same thing. A barrister is a person who goes to court on behalf of the defense or the prosecution. The image of the barrister — a lawyer who pleads cases in the higher, or what is called "superior," courts of Britain — is of a white-wigged gentleman wearing a long black gown over a dark suit. Now, everyone who is a barrister wears white wigs. Barristers are so named because they were literally "called to the bar," which means that they are able to practice law. Barristers are not the same as solicitors, who advise clients but only appear in Britain's lower courts.
Vocabulary lists containing barrister
A Doll's House
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Akata Witch
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Water for Elephants
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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.
See Examples For:
As a novelist, Gardam won special acclaim for her Old Filth trilogy, published between 2004 and 2013, about an elderly English barrister and judge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The DPP barrister said the book of evidence should be ready by that time.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Gareth Ritter, 44, of Bryngwyn, in Monmouthshire, was in the middle of giving evidence in his defence when his barrister asked for the charge to be put to him again.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The barrister said when it came to his client it was a question of "age, vulnerability and cognitive ability".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Dear Mrs. O’Brien, Inasmuch as you have not succumbed to the imminence of litigation in our previous epistle be advised that we are in consultation with our barrister above in Dublin.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
During a two-day hearing at the High Court earlier this week, barristers for the MoJ said the Parole Board had failed to assess Razzell's risk properly and called for the decision to be reversed.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
But EA barristers said it had a general power to bring private prosecutions, and alternatively that allegations of conspiracy to defraud were connected to its functions.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The pair's friendship began in 1996 when they were both barristers at Doughty Street Chambers, specialising in human rights.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Hair strand tests can play a central part in Family Court hearings to decide whether children should go into care, but some barristers have raised concerns over how the tests are presented and interpreted.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
“One of those white wigs that British barristers plop on top of their heads when they are trying a case.”
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
