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Synonyms

lawbreaker

American  
[law-brey-ker] / ˈlɔˌbreɪ kər /

noun

  1. a person who breaks or violates the law.

    Synonyms:
    perpetrator, criminal, transgressor
lawbreaker British  
/ ˈlɔːˌbreɪkə /

noun

  1. a person who breaks the law

  2. informal something that does not conform with legal standards or requirements

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • lawbreaking noun

Etymology

Origin of lawbreaker

before 1050; Middle English lawbreker; replacing Old English lahbreca. See law 1, breaker 1

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.

On Friday, Omar posted a message on social media saying that her daughter was not a lawbreaker, but a leader.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2024

But while Grossman’s defense team seized on the plating issue to paint Erickson as a lawbreaker, the lead prosecutor dismissed the revelation as a years-old red herring.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2024

"However, once I return to Korea, I am a lawbreaker."

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2022

For Hines, it was deeply embarrassing and frustrating to be called a lawbreaker after 15 years in the diesel industry without incident.

From Salon • Sep. 29, 2020

A lawbreaker was confronted with an ugly alternative.

From Man Size by Raine, William MacLeod

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.