vigilante
Americannoun
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vigilantes
plural
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a member of a vigilance committee.
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any person who takes the law into their own hands, such as by avenging a crime.
adjective
noun
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one of an organized group of citizens who take upon themselves the protection of their district, properties, etc
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Also called: vigilance man. a member of a vigilance committee
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of vigilante
An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; from Spanish: literally, “vigilant”
Explanation
If you’re a vigilante, you might take the law into your own hands by trying to catch or punish someone in your own way. If you wrestle jaywalkers down to the ground, you might be called a vigilante. Vigilante is a form of the word vigilant, which means "keeping a watchful or close eye on events and people." Sometimes a vigilante will make news for catching a criminal, and sometimes vigilante groups form to target crimes in a bad neighborhood. A common combined use is "vigilante justice," which refers to a form of law-keeping outside of the official channels of police and the courts.
Vocabulary lists containing vigilante
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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:
In the meantime communities are still suffering and in Zamfara thousands of residents have joined government-backed vigilante groups to fill the gaps in security.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The bond market wasn’t being a vigilante, as some would argue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
America’s most-loved fictional titans, Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, have bottomless wealth to fund their vigilante adventures, making them especially mesmerizing to an audience raised on rags-to-riches fables.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The first time he decided to trash one of the cameras, a self-styled vigilante wearing all black and known as Nomark says he was "super nervous."
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
“That’s the drawback with being an anonymous vigilante for justice,” she admitted.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
In response, on May 15, 1850, armed vigilantes and the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Things have since quietened, she says, crediting patrols by the army and government-backed vigilantes, but the atmosphere is still tense.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
I think 4% to 5% is normal, and I will worry about a debt crisis when the bond vigilantes worry about it.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
So even though the so-called bond vigilantes may have taken a brief break from selling bonds, they probably haven’t gone away for good.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Yes, some of us were born to be punctuation vigilantes.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
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.
