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Synonyms

lawyer

American  
[law-yer, loi-er] / ˈlɔ yər, ˈlɔɪ ər /

noun

  1. a person whose profession is to represent clients in a court of law or to advise or act for clients in other legal matters.

  2. New Testament. an interpreter of the Mosaic Law. Luke 14:3.

verb (used without object)

  1. to work as a lawyer; practice law.

verb (used with object)

  1. to submit (a case, document, or the like) to a lawyer for examination, advice, clarification, etc.

verb phrase

  1. lawyer up to hire a lawyer, especially when there is a perceived risk of being sued or charged with a crime.

    It’s time to lawyer up to protect yourself and your family.
lawyer British  
/ ˈlɔːjə, ˈlɔɪə /

noun

  1. a member of the legal profession, esp a solicitor See also advocate barrister solicitor

  2. a popular name for burbot

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • delawyer verb (used with object)
  • lawyerlike adjective
  • lawyerly adjective
  • nonlawyer noun
  • underlawyer noun
  • unlawyerlike adjective
  • unlawyerly adjective

Etymology

Origin of lawyer

First recorded in 1350–1400, lawyer is from the Middle English word lawyere. See law 1, -ier 1

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.

A lawyer for Black said there was “no corroboration by other witnesses of the allegation.”

From The Wall Street Journal

A state district court, siding with a legal challenge filed by Horning’s lawyers, dismissed the town’s petition to condemn the parcel.

From The Wall Street Journal

“If you’re assuming you have to pay a tariff, then the only way to lower your liability is to change the value a bit,” said Dave Townsend, an international trade lawyer at Dorsey & Whitney.

From The Wall Street Journal

A lawyer for her family, Ben Crump, told the New York Times that the family members are satisfied by the settlement.

From BBC

According to a timeline provided by the Buffalo Police Department, Shah Alam's lawyer reported him missing on 22 February, saying he had been released to federal authorities on 19 February and had no identification.

From BBC

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.