outlaw
Americannoun
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outlaws
plural
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a lawless person or habitual criminal, especially one who is a fugitive from the law.
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a person, group, or thing excluded from the benefits and protection of the law.
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a person under sentence of outlawry.
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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.
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Chiefly Western U.S.
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a horse that cannot be broken; a mean, intractable horse.
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any rogue animal.
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verb (used with object)
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outlaws,
present (3rd person singular)
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outlawed,
past participle, past
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outlawing
present participle
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to make unlawful or illegal.
The Eighteenth Amendment outlawed the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating beverages in the U.S.
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to deprive of the benefits and protection of the law.
Members of guerrilla bands who refused to surrender were outlawed.
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to prohibit.
to outlaw smoking in a theater.
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to remove from legal jurisdiction; deprive of legal force.
adjective
noun
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(formerly) a person excluded from the law and deprived of its protection
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any fugitive from the law, esp a habitual transgressor
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a wild or untamed beast
verb
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to put (a person) outside the law and deprive of its protection
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(in the US) to deprive (a contract) of legal force
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to ban
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outlawsimple
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outlawssimple
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have outlawedperfect
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has outlawedperfect
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am outlawingprogressive
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are outlawingprogressive
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is outlawingprogressive
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have been outlawingperfect progressive
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has been outlawingperfect progressive
Past
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outlawedsimple
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had outlawedperfect
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was outlawingprogressive
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were outlawingprogressive
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had been outlawingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outlaw
before 1150; Middle English outlawe, Old English ūtlaga < Old Norse ūtlagi one outside the protection of the law; see out, law 1
Explanation
An outlaw is a criminal who's on the run. Historically, the word outlaw was used for Western criminals like Billy the Kid or Jesse James, not so much for contemporary drug lords or serial killers. Because they didn't need to be arrested by a police officer or other official, pursuing outlaws was once a way to earn reward money. The outlaw figure became popular due to the almost romantic image of nonconformity they had — outlaws are common characters in Western books and movies. You can also use outlaw to mean "ban or make illegal." If you had your way, you might outlaw spinach, long lines, and stinky perfume.
Vocabulary lists containing outlaw
Words Every Pirate Should Know
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Novel Study: Hoot, Chapters 1–8
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Across So Many Seas
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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:
Burnham is also planning to outlaw shops using fake "was" prices, which he said trick shoppers into thinking they are getting better value on purchases.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Several private schools in Ohio and Virginia permit paddling as discipline even though those states outlaw corporal punishment in public schools.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Constitutional law was reshaped by the campaign to outlaw segregation, by the campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment, and by the campaign for constitutionally protected same-sex marriage.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
The ordinance that restricts yoga instruction at city parks does not outlaw teaching other subjects including tai chi and Shakespeare, the city has conceded in court proceedings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
"Ser Marq, with respect, you cannot know that this outlaw was Ser Gregor. TTiere are many large men in the realm."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Robert Redford became a bankable leading man in 1969, when “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” about a pair of outlaws on the lam, turned him into a paragon of the movie star.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
The Deterrence unit later claimed responsibility for another operation in Rafah on Tuesday, announcing the arrest of "hundreds of outlaws" linked to Abu Shabab's and Heles's factions.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
In a sense, they are outlaws bound by their life on the run, and their love is more powerful than any distance.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2025
Ministers are planning to scrap the Vagrancy Act, which outlaws rough sleeping in England and Wales.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2025
“We’re outlaws now,” I said, savoring the word.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
He was open about being gay, even when homosexuality was outlawed in Britain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
America outlawed slavery and Jim Crow, expanded the voting franchise, and banned forced sterilization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Almost 30 states have curbed or outlawed “therapy” that seeks to change minors’ sexual orientation or gender identity—that is, to make them stop being gay, bisexual, or transgender.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2026
Greyhound racing is to be outlawed in Scotland with MSPs set to pass a ban.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
Sometimes I glance at the outlawed flag during street demonstrations.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
Scotland and Wales both passed legislation outlawing commercial dog racing this year.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Others require “humane and dignified treatment” while outlawing services performed in an “incompetent” or “cruel manner.”
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2026
In 2024, Berkeley and Oakland passed ordinances outlawing discrimination based on family structure, including polyamorous relationships.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
The next town over, Pittsfield, passed a bylaw outlawing baseball to protect the windows of its meetinghouse—all the way back in 1791.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
Certainly, outlawing barbaric punishments was evidence of progress in penal practice, and perhaps of progress in American civilization as well.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
