Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

lawyer

American  
[law-yer, loi-er] / ˈlɔ yər, ˈlɔɪ ər /

noun

  1. a person whose profession is to represent clients in a court of law or to advise or act for clients in other legal matters.

  2. New Testament. an interpreter of the Mosaic Law. Luke 14:3.

verb (used without object)

  1. to work as a lawyer; practice law.

verb (used with object)

  1. to submit (a case, document, or the like) to a lawyer for examination, advice, clarification, etc.

verb phrase

  1. lawyer up to hire a lawyer, especially when there is a perceived risk of being sued or charged with a crime.

    It’s time to lawyer up to protect yourself and your family.
lawyer British  
/ ˈlɔːjə, ˈlɔɪə /

noun

  1. a member of the legal profession, esp a solicitor See also advocate barrister solicitor

  2. a popular name for burbot

"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

Other Word 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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing lawyer

"The Civil Rights Movement"

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Legal Lingo, List 1

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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 Sigrid McCawley said at the time that Lively had exposed the "smear machine" in Hollywood.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

Think of Michael Connelly — he’s Harry Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller — who each will have another book coming soon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

NewsGuard’s founders are the decidedly liberal Steven Brill of American Lawyer magazine and the conservative former Wall Street Journal publisher and columnist L. Gordon Crovitz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Lawyer Peter Kubina, who represents Kuciak, told AFP ahead of Monday's hearing that he did not expect the defendant to change his stance, "as he has repeatedly declared his innocence in the past".

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

“The problem with hostile takeovers is that they were hostile,” says Steven Brill, who founded the trade magazine American Lawyer.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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.