barrister
Americannoun
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barristers
plural
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(in England) a lawyer who is a member of one of the Inns of Court and who has the privilege of pleading in the higher courts.
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Informal. any lawyer.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of barrister
1535–45; derivative of bar 1, perhaps after obsolete legister lawyer or minister
Explanation
The Brits and Canadians prefer to say barrister instead of "lawyer," but they mean the same thing. A barrister is a person who goes to court on behalf of the defense or the prosecution. The image of the barrister — a lawyer who pleads cases in the higher, or what is called "superior," courts of Britain — is of a white-wigged gentleman wearing a long black gown over a dark suit. Now, everyone who is a barrister wears white wigs. Barristers are so named because they were literally "called to the bar," which means that they are able to practice law. Barristers are not the same as solicitors, who advise clients but only appear in Britain's lower courts.
Vocabulary lists containing barrister
A Doll's House
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Akata Witch
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Water for Elephants
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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:
Chow, a barrister, represented herself, told a hearing last month that she rejected the convictions, adding that she had "nothing to repent for".
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Her barrister Alice Sykes said her client would be able to pay the compensation, as she was working full-time as an estate agent on £1,700 a month, as well as receiving universal credit.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Seeking an order for heavier indemnity costs to be made against the authority, the barrister accused some of its representatives of a "scandalous abdication of responsibilities".
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
North Lanarkshire SNP group said Carragher had been cleared by an independent advocate and barrister and it had "full confidence" in her return to the party.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
He’s sitting opposite, a newcomer, an interloper—a retired barrister with a square jaw, pitted nose, and great floppy ears.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
The court will hear legal submissions later on Friday from barristers for the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The MoD is defending the legal bid, with its barristers telling the court that the claim has been brought too late.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The second phase - which has not been fully reported until now - saw the judge set out a lengthy and legally complex reasoning for the court record so that barristers could understand his thinking.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Those rulings included an order that none of the barristers could refer in their speeches to "jury equity".
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
“One of those white wigs that British barristers plop on top of their heads when they are trying a case.”
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
