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Synonyms

ambulance chaser

American  

noun

Usually Disparaging.

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

ambulance chaser British  

noun

  1. slang a lawyer who seeks to encourage and profit from the lawsuits of accident victims

"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
ambulance chaser Idioms  

  1. 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]

Other Word Forms

  • ambulance chasing noun

Etymology

Origin of ambulance chaser

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

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.