bondsman
1 Americannoun
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bondsmen
plural
noun
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bondsmen
plural
noun
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law a person bound by bond to act as surety for another
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another word for bondservant
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bondsman1
1725–35; bond's man man of the bond, i.e., its signer; see bond 1, 's 1, man
Origin of bondsman2
First recorded in 1250–1300, bondsman is from the Middle English word bondesman. See bond 2, 's 1, man
Explanation
A bondsman is a person or company that loans money to bail someone out of jail while their case is being tried. The word bondsman was historically used to mean "enslaved person," or "man in bondage." Today, it's someone whose job involves issuing loans to defendants who must pay bail to get out of jail. Bail bondsmen are illegal in nearly every country except the U.S. — profiting from the bail system, as bondsmen do, is widely viewed as unethical. As well as loaning money, bondsmen are often responsible for tracking down defendants who fail to repay their loans.
Vocabulary lists containing bondsman
"Let America Be America Again"
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Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 1
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Vocabulary from Readings 3, Unit 1
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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:
He eventually fled to Mexico, where a bail bondsman tracked him down and he was arrested by local police, according to Lough.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2025
The letters written by the other two defendants to plead guilty - Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis and bail bondsman Scott Hall - were longer and more specific.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
The newspaper also obtained portions of statements from lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, and Georgia bail bondsman Scott Hall.
From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2023
She joins fellow lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, as well as the bail bondsman Scott Hall, in taking a deal.
From New York Times ● Oct. 25, 2023
Raleigh prepared the paperwork and faxed it over to the bondsman.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
He conceded that bondsmen who subcontract with him are required to “maintain professionalism” and “know the conditions of the bond.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 31, 2022
In most states, commercial bail bondsmen and the bounty hunters they hire are an integral part of the justice system.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 11, 2019
Bounty hunters and bondsmen tend to be more figures of action than verbosity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 16, 2018
The family member must pay the bail bondsmen 10% of the bail bond.
From Encyclopedia.com ● Sep. 19, 2018
And local bondsmen such as Maurice Ryles and Warren King, both of whom lived on my street, assumed responsibility for a number of people who couldn’t afford to get out.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
