lawyer

[law-yer, loi-er]

See more synonyms for lawyer on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person whose profession is to represent clients in a court of law or to advise or act for clients in other legal matters.
New Testament. an interpreter of the Mosaic Law. Luke 14:3.

verb (used without object)

to work as a lawyer; practice law.

verb (used with object)

to submit (a case, document, or the like) to a lawyer for examination, advice, clarification, etc.

Origin of lawyer

First recorded in 1350–1400, lawyer is from the Middle English word lawyere. See law¹, -ier¹

Related formslaw·yer·like, law·yer·ly, adjectivede·law·yer, verb (used with object)non·law·yer, nounun·der·law·yer, nounun·law·yer·like, adjectiveun·law·yer·ly, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for lawyer

counselor, advocate, proctor, attorney, practitioner, barrister, mouthpiece, counsel, solicitor, defender, jurist, procurator, counsellor, pleader, jurisprudent, attorney-at-law, legist

Examples from the Web for lawyer

Contemporary Examples of lawyer

He first rose to prominence as a lawyer in Queens, who settled a boiling racial dispute over public housing in Forest Hills.
Mario Cuomo: An OK Governor, but a Far Better Person
Michael Tomasky
January 2, 2015
“At worst, Eric picked up a garbage can, was told by police to put it down, and did,” his lawyer, Martin Stoler, insisted.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop
Michael Daly
December 16, 2014
Another step is to require a lawyer or advocate present during questioning of people with ID.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities
Elizabeth Picciuto
December 16, 2014
Case in point: when Loertscher was brought to court in Wisconsin, her 14-week-old fetus was granted a lawyer, but she was not.
States Slap Pregnant Women With Harsher Jail Sentences
Emily Shire
December 12, 2014
Jackson declined to comment on the case, saying it was at the behest of his lawyer.
Prof: MIT Hospitalized Me For Ferguson Tweets
Nina Strochlic
December 11, 2014

Historical Examples of lawyer

"I shall not interfere with that arrangement," said the lawyer, misunderstanding his object.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
"I shall not call upon you to do that," said the lawyer, kindly.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
"Certainly, Robert," was the reply, but the lawyer's manner showed some surprise.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
The lawyer listened with surprise to the story Robert had to tell.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
That evening, the lawyer called at the house of the superintendent.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for lawyer

lawyer

noun

a member of the legal profession, esp a solicitorSee also advocate, barrister, solicitor
a popular name for burbot

Word Origin for lawyer

C14: from law 1

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

Word Origin and History for lawyer

late 14c. (mid-14c. as a surname), from Middle English lawe "law" (see law) + -iere. Spelling with -y- first attested 1610s (see -yer).