lawman
noun
an officer of the law, as a sheriff or police officer.
lawman
1 American
[law-man, -muhn]
/ ˈlɔˌmæn, -mən /
noun
-
lawmen
plural
Lawman
2
American
[law-muhn]
/ ˈlɔ mən /
noun
lawman
British
/ ˈlɔːmən /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lawman
before 1000; Middle English laweman, earlier lageman, Old English lahmann. See law 1, -man
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:
Odenkirk plays a lawman whose chief virtue is not getting involved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The series ran from 1993 to 2001 and followed Cordell Walker, a Texas lawman who battles crime with a black belt and strong moral compass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026
“Sheriff Pusser inspired thousands to enter into law enforcement,” Sweat told me, gesturing to a Pusser admirer turned lawman who had just visited his shop to talk Pusser.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2025
A.I. is becoming more lifelike by the day, making Olyphant’s quirky and very human contribution to the series’ android lineage a special kick to watch, and a welcome departure from his various lawman roles.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2025
Tom learned to be a lawman by following the example of the most skilled officers.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
The Lawman has gone but what a life he lived and what a player he was.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
Lawman Bass Reeves is one of the best-known Black historical figures from the Old West.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2021
Texas Sen. John Cornyn ... is the guy who gave officer Tom Coleman the Texas "Lawman of the Year" award for his great work in Tulia, Texas.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2021
The last of those was the famous match in which they symbolically – if not actually – relegated United, the Lawman beating up the wrong guys and all that.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 26, 2016
On one occasion at the All-Thing he went to the booth of the Lawman Skapti the son of Thorodd, who was a man of great knowledge and gave good counsel to those who consulted him.
From Grettir the Strong, Icelandic Saga by Unknown
For nearly a decade, four small-town Louisiana lawmen and a Subway shop owner manufactured phony crime reports to help foreign nationals stay in the U.S., federal prosecutors say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Two of the fired deputies allegedly admitted to having matching Indians tattoos, and sources told The Times the inked lawmen were let go for violating the department’s anti-gang policy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2024
And in this scene, the lawmen converge to arrest one person they believe they can get information from, Ernest Burkhart, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
The federal investigation into Suffolk County’s top lawmen spanned years during the Gilgo Beach case, a period during which both Burke and Spota had spurned help from the FBI.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
After we got the horses stabled and bid the Dee-troit lawmen a good night, me and the cap’n walked toward where the sheriff said we could eat cheap.
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
