attorney
Americannoun
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attorneys
plural
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a lawyer; attorney-at-law.
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an attorney-in-fact; agent.
noun
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a person legally appointed or empowered to act for another
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a lawyer qualified to represent clients in legal proceedings
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a solicitor
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of attorney
1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French attourne literally, “(one who is) turned to,” i.e., “(one who is) appointed,” past participle of attourner “to attorn ”
Explanation
An attorney is a lawyer. Attorneys sue people, defend people, and serve as experts on the law. When there's any kind of legal issue, attorneys will be involved. They're the legal experts with law degrees who are also known as "lawyers." You'll often find them in court, defending clients or trying to put criminals in jail. Attorneys work for businesses, schools, the government, and individuals. So if you get arrested, need to write a will, or have to hash out a binding contract, an attorney is the person to call.
Vocabulary lists containing attorney
Monster
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Occupations
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Flush
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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:
District Judge J. Michael Seabright disqualified Essayli as acting U.S. attorney last October, finding he was “not lawfully serving” in the top role.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The authority granted by a power of attorney generally ends when the principal dies, as you say.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
James Pearce, an attorney who argued the Nevada case before the 9th Circuit, said the ruling could have implications in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Remember, having power of attorney for your mother-in-law does not obligate you to act as executor.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
So, at three in the morning, the attorney parked his Model T at the ranch and went to sleep in the car.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
As part of an insurance dispute over a fire-damaged Carson home, attorneys for State Farm cited several cases in court filings this month that they later acknowledged don’t exist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
And if Instagram isn’t targeting the under-13s, the attorneys general ask, why are there accounts for “My Little Pony,” “Paw Patrol,” “Peppa Pig,” “SpongeBob SquarePants” and the like?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The case, brought by four state attorneys general, alleges that Meta violated state consumer protection laws and federal rules that protect children online.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Some have been more successful at that than others, and at times attorneys general on both sides of the aisle have been thorns in the side of the presidents they serve.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
“A thousand dollars? He will not get a cent. We shall have him prosecuted immediately. Contact our attorneys, Mother.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
