Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One whose profession is to give legal advice and assistance to clients and represent them in court or in other legal matters.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Same as
gray snapper . Seesnapper . - noun One who is versed in the law, or is a practitioner of law; one whose profession is to prosecute or defend suits in courts, or advise clients as to their legal rights, and aid them in securing those rights. It is a general term, comprehending attorneys, counselors, solicitors, proctors, barristers, Serjeants, and advocates.
- noun In the New Testament, an interpreter or expounder of the Mosaic law.
- noun The mudfish or bowfin, Amia calva; also, the burbot, Lota maculosa: both more fully called
lake-lawyer . - noun The black-necked stilt, Himantopus nigricollis. De Kay.
- noun An old thorny stem of a brier or bramble, as of Rosa canina or Rubus fruticosus.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One versed in the laws, or a practitioner of law; one whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients, or to advise as to prosecution or defence of lawsuits, or as to legal rights and obligations in other matters. It is a general term, comprehending attorneys, counselors, solicitors, barristers, sergeants, and advocates.
- noun The black-necked stilt. See
Stilt . - noun The bowfin (
Amia calva ). - noun The burbot (
Lota maculosa ). - noun A lawyer knowledgeable about the most detailed and minute points of law, especially one with an exceptional propensity and ability to exploit fine technical points of law for the client's advantage.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
professional person qualified (as by a law degree and/orbar exam ) and authorized to practicelaw , i.e. conduct lawsuits and/or give legal advice. - noun By extension, a legal
layman who argues points of law. - verb informal To practice law.
- verb To perform, or attempt to perform, the work of a lawyer.
- verb To make
legalistic arguments . - verb With "up", to acquire the services of a lawyer.
- verb colloquial, criminal law With "up", to exercise the right to ask for the presence of one's attorney.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word lawyer.
Examples
-
"Perhaps you would like to be a lawyer; very well, be a _lawyer_, but see to it that you don't _die a lawyer_, and nothing but a lawyer.
Crayon and Character: Truth Made Clear Through Eye and Ear Or, Ten-Minute Talks with Colored Chalks 1900
-
McConaughey is reportedly still playing the title lawyer, while Jones would have been the playboy.
Tommy Lee Jones Won’t Direct The Lincoln Lawyer | /Film 2009
-
Mortimer's personal training as a lawyer likely helped him create the title lawyer character of "Rumpole," which was adapted for short stories and the radio following its TV run.
-
That insight may lead us to the conclusion that the lawyer is a great person for standing up for the rights of an unrepresented group/person.
-
The best you can hope for from a lawyer is a mild interest in your case and a little extra willingness to work hard.
Matthew Yglesias » Too Many Lawyers, But Also Too Many Cartels 2010
-
I still think being a lawyer is about having a part in trying to do justice.
-
I still think being a lawyer is about having a part in trying to do justice.
-
December 15th, 2009 2: 36 am view my lawyer is an online directory that contains information on lawyers and their specialization worldwide.
-
Rule of thumb: If a lawyer is advertising on TV, steer as far away from him as you can.
‘Public option’ on the table? - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState 2009
-
If his lawyer is any good, he has convinced the guy that he was caught in the act of a capital crime, and will face certain execution if he does not comply completely.
kewpid commented on the word lawyer
December 21, 2007
sonofgroucho commented on the word lawyer
See The Spawn of the Devil.
December 21, 2007
pterodactyl commented on the word lawyer
See this map for American pronunciation.
April 10, 2008
jennarenn commented on the word lawyer
I think I pronounce it "loy-er".
November 14, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word lawyer
Ditto.
November 14, 2008