outlaw
noun
out·law
| \ ˈau̇t-ˌlȯ
\
\
Definition of outlaw
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a person excluded from the benefit or protection of the law
2a
: 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
3
: an animal (such as a horse) that is wild and unmanageable
outlaw
verb
outlawed;
outlawing;
outlaws
Definition of outlaw (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: to deprive of the benefit and protection of law : declare to be an outlaw
b
: to make illegal
outlawed dueling
2
: to place under a ban or restriction
3
: to remove from legal jurisdiction or enforcement
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Other Words from outlaw
Noun
outlaw
adjective
Verb
outlawry
\ ˈau̇t-ˌlȯr-ē
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of outlaw in a Sentence
Noun
Billy the Kid was one of the most famous outlaws of America's early history.Verb
That type of gun was outlawed last year. The government passed a bill outlawing the hiring of children under the age of 12.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Museums organize shows on the topic, while auction houses peddle the work of former outlaws for high dollars. — Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Know, "For Denver, Crush Walls is a street art fest. For street artists, it’s a show of real respect.," 1 Sep. 2019 Federal agents have dismantled at least six other outlaw marijuana farms on public lands in Northern California recently. — Zoë Schlanger, Quartz, "Illegal marijuana growers are poisoning national forests with banned pesticides," 23 Aug. 2019 Both Tyler and Zak are outlaws, each one fleeing a different form of authority that is seen as a brutally indifferent form of incarceration. — Travis Deshong, Twin Cities, "A thief and a runaway with Down syndrome bond in ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’," 23 Aug. 2019 The Old West has been larger than life ever since the first dime novelists made legends out of lawmen, outlaws, and assorted frontier scalawags. — Patricia Harris, BostonGlobe.com, "Thundering out of an iconic American past: The Buffalo Roundup in South Dakota’s Custer State Park," 20 Aug. 2019 Departments have spent millions in overtime policing the outlaw rallies. — Phil Matier, SFChronicle.com, "Soak sideshow crowds with fire hoses — that’s ex-lawmaker Don Perata’s solution," 24 July 2019 Local investigators initially believed Luther had ties to the Vagos motorcycle gang, one of the nation’s largest and most dangerous outlaw biker organizations, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said. — Los Angeles Times, "Riverside shootout between cop doing his ‘dream job’ and troubled felon ends in heartbreak," 14 Aug. 2019 Interwoven with Nora’s story is a second, seemingly unrelated narrative belonging to Lurie Mattie, an immigrant orphaned young and turned outlaw. — Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, "Téa Obreht follows up 'The Tiger's Wife' with 'Inland' a haunted, fantastical Western," 13 Aug. 2019 Our outstanding federal, state, and local law enforcement partners were able to catch this outlaw, and his prior criminal record finally caught up with him. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "'Deadliest Catch' Cast Member Jason 'Tennessee' King Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison," 23 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Obama administration limited them to three-month nonrenewable terms, and some states, including California, have outlawed them entirely. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: The 10 worst things Trump has done to harm your healthcare," 20 Aug. 2019 All were sentenced to death but their sentences were commuted to life when the U.S. Supreme Court briefly outlawed capital punishment in 1972. — Jonathan Miller, CBS News, "How CBS News covered the Manson murders," 9 Aug. 2019 This month Panama became the first Central American country to outlaw them. — The Economist, "The inflexibility of plastic," 25 July 2019 Members of the group say the Chinese government endorsed it until an abrupt about-face in 1999, when it was outlawed. — Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com, "Ohio Falun Gong practitioners rally in Washington to end persecution in China," 18 July 2019 Constructed during the Prohibition era, when the manufacture and sale of alcohol was outlawed, the 1924 home was designed with a hidden passageway and concealed liquor storage. — Lauren Beale, latimes.com, "Vintage SoCal: 1920s estate in La Cañada Flintridge is still the bee’s knees," 12 July 2019 When alcohol was outlawed in 1920, people were forced to seek out a new, legal vice. — Scottie Andrew And Saeed Ahmed, CNN, "It's 7-Eleven Day, which means free Slurpees for all. Here's what you need to know about America's favorite slush," 11 July 2019 The first restriction of any kind came in 1808, when the federal government outlawed the slave trade. — John Steele Gordon, WSJ, "A Short History of American Immigration," 20 Nov. 2018 Enslaved New Yorkers were freed by 1827; by 1873 racial discrimination was outlawed in the city. — The Economist, "Music and morals in New York’s ragtime age," 15 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outlaw.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for outlaw
outlaw
noun
English Language Learners Definition of outlaw
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a person who has broken the law and who is hiding or running away to avoid punishment
outlaw
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of outlaw (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make (something) illegal
See the full definition for outlaw in the English Language Learners Dictionary
outlaw
noun
out·law
| \ ˈau̇t-ˌlȯ
\
\
Kids Definition of outlaw
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a person who has broken the law and is hiding or fleeing to avoid punishment