vigilante

American  

[vij-uh-lan-tee] / ˌvɪdʒ əˈlæn ti /

noun

• vigilantes
  plural

1. a member of a vigilance committee.

2. any person who takes the law into their own hands, such as by avenging a crime.

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adjective

1. done violently and summarily, without recourse to lawful procedures.

   vigilante justice.

vigilante British  

/ ˌvɪdʒɪˈlæntɪ /

noun

1. one of an organized group of citizens who take upon themselves the protection of their district, properties, etc

2. Also called: vigilance man. a member of a vigilance committee

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vigilanteism
  noun
• vigilantism
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vigilantes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of vigilante

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; from Spanish: literally, “vigilant”

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vigilante vigilantes

In Prime Video’s “Spider-Noir,” he played Ben Reilly, a hapless and jaded private eye who used to moonlight as a masked vigilante known as the Spider until the love of his life was murdered.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Plus, a $5 billion flurry of nearly identical Kalshi trades draw scrutiny, and meet the vigilante taking on recruitment scammers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 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 army said the children and staff were rescued following "carefully planned and executed" operations alongside intelligence agencies, police and local vigilante groups.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

She saw herself as a lone vigilante, a superhero in repose, a spy.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

An hour before polls closed in Serbia, masked and hooded vigilantes took up position in central Belgrade.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

His arrest followed a sting by civilian vigilantes that was posted online.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

‘I do not agree that rates are staying higher for longer. 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

This is not to minimize deficit and debt considerations; profligate fiscal policies always run the risk of upsetting the bond vigilantes, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

If Booth was captured, the army would have to protect him from Lincoln’s avengers—rampaging mobs of vigilantes who might storm the Old Capitol Prison—if they discovered Booth was jailed there.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

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