Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Dictionary

Thesaurus

Medical

Scrabble^®

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Dictionary

¹outlaw

noun out·law \ˈau̇t-ˌlȯ\

: a person who has broken the law and who is hiding or running away to avoid punishment

Full Definition of OUTLAW

: a person excluded from the benefit or protection of the law

a : a lawless person or a fugitive from the law

b : a person or organization under a ban or restriction

c : one that is unconventional or rebellious

: an animal (as a horse) that is wild and unmanageable

— outlaw adjective

See outlaw defined for English-language learners

See outlaw defined for kids

Origin of OUTLAW

Middle English outlawe, from Old English ūtlaga, from Old Norse ūtlagi, from ūt out (akin to Old English ūt out) + lag-, lǫg law — more at out, law

First Known Use: before 12th century

Rhymes with OUTLAW

backsaw, band saw, bear claw, bedstraw, blue law, bucksaw, buzz saw, bylaw, case law, catclaw, cat's-paw, chain saw, Choctaw, coleslaw, Corn Law, crenshaw, cumshaw, cushaw, Danelaw, declaw, Esau, forepaw, fretsaw, glass jaw, grandma, grandpa, guffaw, hacksaw, handsaw, hawkshaw, hee-haw, hurrah, in-law, jackdaw, jackstraw, jigsaw, kickshaw, last straw, leash law, lockjaw, lynch law, macaw, Moose Jaw, Nassau, old-squaw, outdraw, pasha, pawpaw, pit saw, pooh-bah, poor law, rickshaw, ringtaw, ripsaw, scofflaw, scrimshaw, scroll saw, seesaw, shield law, southpaw, Skiddaw, tack claw, trishaw, tussah, undraw, Utah, Warsaw, whipsaw, wiredraw, withdraw

²outlaw

verb

: to make (something) illegal

Full Definition of OUTLAW

transitive verb

a : to deprive of the benefit and protection of law : declare to be an outlaw

b : to make illegal <outlawed dueling>

: to place under a ban or restriction

: to remove from legal jurisdiction or enforcement

— out·law·ry \ˈau̇t-ˌlȯr-ē\ noun

See outlaw defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of OUTLAW

before 12th century

Related to OUTLAW

Synonyms: criminalize, illegalize

Antonyms: decriminalize, legalize

OUTLAW Defined for Kids

¹outlaw

noun out·law \ˈau̇t-ˌlȯ\

Definition of OUTLAW for Kids

: a person who has broken the law and is hiding or fleeing to avoid punishment

Headscratcher for OUTLAW

“In” and “out” may be opposites, but “in-law” and outlaw are not. An in-law is someone you're related to by marriage. An outlaw is someone who has broken the law.