outlaw

American  

[out-law] / ˈaʊtˌlɔ /

noun

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

   Synonyms:

   brigand, bandit, desperado

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

3. a person under sentence of outlawry.

4. 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.

5. Chiefly Western U.S.

   1. a horse that cannot be broken; a mean, intractable horse.

   2. any rogue animal.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make unlawful or illegal.

   The Eighteenth Amendment outlawed the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating beverages in the U.S.

2. to deprive of the benefits and protection of the law.

   Members of guerrilla bands who refused to surrender were outlawed.

3. to prohibit.

   to outlaw smoking in a theater.

   Synonyms:

   forbid, ban, proscribe

4. to remove from legal jurisdiction; deprive of legal force.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an outlaw.

outlaw British  

/ ˈaʊtˌlɔː /

noun

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

2. any fugitive from the law, esp a habitual transgressor

3. a wild or untamed beast

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verb

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

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

3. to ban

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-outlawed
  adjective
• self-outlaw
  noun
• unoutlawed
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

It comes as UK Government ministers move to outlaw them over environmental concerns.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

Coe’s background was suitable for finding a home in the outlaw country movement.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

And, as Barron’s reported last week, much of what the bills seek to outlaw may already be banned under existing regulations.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Johnson, which effectively allowed cities to outlaw public camping, Albuquerque began a regime of sweeps, actively dismantling encampments—soon after, they outlawed public camping altogether.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

He told me later he had received the wound during a border skirmish with the outlaw dragons who lived in the hills of the seashore.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

Related Words

• bandit
• crook
• desperado
• fugitive
• gangster
• hoodlum
• hooligan
• marauder
• mobster
• outcast
• pariah
• robber