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:
“As attorney general, I’ve sued some of the largest companies in the world … for taking advantage of our kids by exposing them to dangerous, addictive material,” Paxton said after defeating Cornyn in May.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
Xuan’s attorney, Mitchell Krems, previously noted his client had never been convicted of a crime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Salazar’s attorney indicated that length wasn’t especially relevant and shifted the conversation to the business and profit motive of delivering videos, but Barrett was skeptical.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
The panel also found Burwood acted dishonestly by failing to tell her employer she held financial lasting power of attorney for a resident at the care home where she worked.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
In light of that opinion, the district attorney announced that he would wait until the president's situation was certain before moving forward with his case against Guiteau.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
The Friday afternoon hearing was sparked by Xuan and Zhang’s attorneys attempts to have their clients released on their own recognizance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
They have pleaded not guilty and denied the accusations through their attorneys, who declined to comment on the new allegations leveled in court Friday by prosecutors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
People who identify themselves as lawyers or attorneys or claim to be able to provide legal services without being admitted to the bar can face criminal charges in some states.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Her legal credentials have come under scrutiny after she didn’t appear in searches for licensed attorneys in California, Texas or Washington, D.C., under her married or maiden name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
In fact, judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys may not even be aware of the full range of collateral consequences for a felony conviction.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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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.
