barrister
Americannoun
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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.
Defence Barrister John Kearney KC put it to the witness that McCullagh has no recollection of a physical row in the bathroom - "that it didn't happen."
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
Barrister Daniel Oscroft said it was obvious to anyone that she was a very young and vulnerable child.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026
Barrister John Waters, who represented the father but has died since the last hearing in August, told the judge there had been "no alienation".
From BBC • Oct. 9, 2025
Barrister Polly Dyer said the alleged offences happened on 12 August 2023 at The Groucho Club.
From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025
Then he turned to Mr. Langhorne the Barrister: 'You've known Mr. Edmund Gray a long time, I believe?'
From The Ivory Gate, a new edition by Besant, Walter, Sir
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.
