vigilante
Americannoun
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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
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.
The case attracted huge public attention, with Martin's supporters casting him as a man taking a stand to defend his home - and others believing he was a violent eccentric turned vigilante.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
He insists that he isn’t “a one-man vigilante committee, going around trying to get people to take their feet off train seats. I suppose I’ve done it only about 10 times.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
Indeed, a nemesis dismisses John Cena’s namesake vigilante, whose real name is Chris Smith, as “a jingoistic garbage person with the musical taste of the next-door bully from ‘Toy Story.’”
From Salon • Dec. 14, 2025
She had a starring role in Josh Margolin’s 2024 movie “Thelma,” an action comedy about an unlikely 93-year-old vigilante who jumps on a motorized scooter to reclaim the money she lost in a scam.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025
“That’s what we should do, Hazel Grace: We should team up and be this disabled vigilante duo roaring through the world, righting wrongs, defending the weak, protecting the endangered.”
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
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.
