before 1000; Middle English laweman, earlier lageman, Old English lahmann. See law 1, -man
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Michael Gates is basing his run for California attorney general on his decade-long reign as Huntington Beach’s top lawman.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
He played a lawman in the television series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which ran from the early 1990s until 2001.
From The Wall Street Journal • 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
The leader of the Dalton Gang, an infamous nineteenth-century band of outlaws, once served as the main lawman on the Osage reservation.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
