lawyer

American  

[law-yer, loi-er] / ˈlɔ jər, ˈlɔɪ ər /

noun

• lawyers
  plural

1. a person whose profession is to represent clients in a court of law or to advise or act for clients in other legal matters.

2. New Testament. an interpreter of the Mosaic Law. Luke 14:3.

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verb (used without object)

1. to work as a lawyer; practice law.

verb (used with object)

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

verb phrase

1. lawyer up to hire a lawyer, especially when there is a perceived risk of being sued or charged with a crime.

   It’s time to lawyer up to protect yourself and your family.

lawyer British  

/ ˈlɔːjə, ˈlɔɪə /

noun

1. a member of the legal profession, esp a solicitor See also advocate barrister solicitor

2. a popular name for burbot

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonlawyer
  noun
• underlawyer
  noun
• delawyer
  verb (used with object)
• lawyerlike
  adjective
• lawyerly
  adjective
• unlawyerlike
  adjective
• unlawyerly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lawyers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of lawyer

First recorded in 1350–1400, lawyer is from the Middle English word lawyere. See law ¹, -ier ¹

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Explanation

A lawyer is a professional who is qualified to offer advice about the law or represent someone in legal matters. A lawyer can also be called an attorney, a solicitor, a counselor, a barrister, or — pejoratively — an ambulance chaser. A lawyer can handle all sorts of legal matters from drafting wills to patent claims to defending people against criminal charges. Qualified lawyers have to attend law school and pass a bar exam in order to practice law. Lawyer, of course, means one who practices the law. "Law" itself comes from the Old Norse root word lag, which means something laid down or fixed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lawyer lawyers

Jake grew up near Bellewood, where his father, Tom, was a trusted, even beloved, lawyer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Najib's aide, Ahmad Lutfi Azhar, also confirmed the payment and the former leader's lawyer Farhan Shafee said they had already obtained papers to transfer the former leader out of jail.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

Employment lawyer Roy Magara says that women being asked if they intend on having children in an interview is a "quite common" kind of bias.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

“No matter what your moral position is on the death penalty, I think we have to look at it from a standpoint of institutional responsibility,” Zavala, the lawyer, told me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

"Nancy's dad is a lawyer too," Bess said with a smile.

From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene

Around ten of their clients have given their consent to sign this collective complaint before the CJR, the lawyers said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

His lawyers argued that the actor and entertainer couldn't receive a fair trial because of the publicity following the Dispatches programme.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Ciarra Docampo’s lawyers said the evidence doesn’t show that he helped set the fire, though they haven’t addressed whether he was present at the protest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

In an email, the Department of Justice said the case was dismissed because Jimenez adhered to the agreement reached between his lawyers and prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

White and the prosecutors watched incredulously as Burkhart stepped down from the stand and went with Hale’s lawyers into the judge’s chambers.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

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Related Words

• advocate
• counselor

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