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ambulance chaser

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noun Usually Disparaging.

a lawyer who seeks accident victims as clients and encourages them to sue for damages (sometimes used facetiously).

Origin of ambulance chaser

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
Related formsambulance chasing, noun
Can be confusedambulance chaser mouthpiece pettifogger shyster
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ambulance chaser

attorney, lawyer, shyster, pettifogger

Examples from the Web for ambulance chaser

Historical Examples of ambulance chaser

  • That peculiar condition which excites the lively interest of the ambulance-chaser.

British Dictionary definitions for ambulance chaser

ambulance chaser

noun

US slang a lawyer who seeks to encourage and profit from the lawsuits of accident victims
Derived Formsambulance chasing, noun
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
Idioms and Phrases with ambulance chaser

ambulance chaser

An attorney who seeks to profit from someone's injury or accident; also, an inferior lawyer. For example, Karen refused to join any law firm that included ambulance chasers. The practice of suing for damages on behalf of the injured person in exchange for a contingency fee—usually a large percentage of the amount so won—may be older, but this derogatory term began to be used for lawyers who actively sought out individuals injured in accidents who required an ambulance. [Slang; late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.