outlaw

[ out-law ]

/ ˈaʊtˌlɔ /

See synonyms for: outlaw / outlawed / outlawer / outlawest on Thesaurus.com

noun

a lawless person or habitual criminal, especially one who is a fugitive from the law.

a person, group, or thing excluded from the benefits and protection of the law.

a person under sentence of outlawry.

a person who refuses to be governed by the established rules or practices of any group; rebel; nonconformist:one of the outlaws of country music.

Chiefly Western U.S.

a horse that cannot be broken; a mean, intractable horse.
any rogue animal.

verb (used with object)

to make unlawful or illegal: The Eighteenth Amendment outlawed the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating beverages in the U.S.

to deprive of thebenefits and protection of the law: Members of guerrilla bands who refused to surrender were outlawed.

to prohibit: to outlaw smoking in a theater.

to remove from legal jurisdiction; deprive of legal force.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of an outlaw.

SYNONYMS FOR outlaw

1 desperado, bandit, brigand.

8 proscribe, ban, forbid.

See synonyms for outlaw on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of outlaw

before 1150; Middle English outlawe,Old English ūtlaga<Old Norse ūtlagi one outside the protection of the law; see out, law¹

OTHER WORDS FROM outlaw

self-outlaw, nounself-outlawed, adjectiveun·out·lawed, adjective

Words nearby outlaw

outlaid, outland, outlander, outlandish, outlast, outlaw, outlawry, outlaw strike, outlay, outleap, outlet

Example sentences from the Web for outlaw

Since the new regulations outlawed surface expressions last year, more than two dozen have occurred in Kern County, the heart of the state’s oil industry.
Oil Companies Are Profiting From Illegal Spills. And California Lets Them.|by Janet Wilson, The Desert Sun, and Lylla Younes, ProPublica|September 18, 2020|ProPublica
While the industry has grown enormously—the value of Bitcoin in circulation is now worth over $200 billion—and made inroads into traditional finance, crypto has not entirely shaken its outlaw reputation.
Coinbase shuffles board ahead of rumored IPO, Marc Andreessen joins as observer|Jeff|August 31, 2020|Fortune
Nationwide, single-family zoning was created just after the Supreme Court outlawed cities from adopting zoning plans that segregated areas explicitly by race.
Single-Family Zoning’s Century of Supremacy in San Diego|Andrew Keatts|August 26, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Meanwhile, Burleson also invoked the Espionage Act to ban circulation of anti-war materials and outlawed worker strikes, with Wilson’s encouragement.
Trump Isn’t the First President to Use His Postmaster for Politics|Fiona Zublin|August 21, 2020|Ozy

Never mind that women were more likely than men to support outlawing booze.
Suffragette City: San Diego’s Crucial Role in Getting Women the Vote|Randy Dotinga|August 6, 2020|Voice of San Diego
And yet, no one in Rio is calling for the end of the campaign to reclaim the outlaw zones of the city.
Rio’s Security Crisis|Mac Margolis|August 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Many court watchers were expecting the justices to outlaw or seriously curtail all uses of race by government actors.
Affirmative Action Lives! What Happened at the Supreme Court|Adam Winkler|June 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Once said to have been rewriting the rules of journalism, Assange has become an outlaw librarian.
How Julian Assange Fooled the Media Once Again|Michael Moynihan|April 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Hacker wins the prime ministership by denouncing an EU plot to outlaw the British sausage.
Partisanship too Far? Republicans Shouldn't Stand With Rand|David Frum|March 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In this case, both Israel and Australia outlaw spies violating their oath of service and betraying their country.
What Prisoner X Scandal?|Gil Troy|February 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If he is a notorious spendthrift they outlaw him by means of a writ presented to the magistrate.
The History of Sumatra|William Marsden
He dreaded to be forced into a position of illegality and revolt, because it would enable his enemies to outlaw him.
Lectures on the French Revolution|John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
At DeBar's words the blood leaped swiftly through Philip's veins, and he laughed as he flung the outlaw's hand from his arm.
Philip Steele of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police|James Oliver Curwood
While Adam was occupying the outlaw's attention, Frank had stepped behind him, and thrown his arm around his neck.
Frank in the Mountains|Harry Castlemon
The outlaw was feeling that he was a leader not overthrown, these were his friends and followers, his safety was their safety too.
The Prodigal Judge|Vaughan Kester

British Dictionary definitions for outlaw

outlaw

/ (ˈaʊtˌlɔː) /

noun

(formerly) a person excluded from the law and deprived of its protection

any fugitive from the law, esp a habitual transgressor

a wild or untamed beast

verb (tr)

to put (a person) outside the law and deprive of its protection

(in the US) to deprive (a contract) of legal force

to ban

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

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