lawbreaker en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈlɑ.bɹeɪkɚ/ (cot-caught-merger)
- (US) audio
- /ˈlɔːbɹeɪkə/ (UK)
- /ˈlɔ.bɹeɪkɚ/ (US)
Etymology
From Middle English lawbreker, lawe brekare; equivalent to law + breaker.
Meanings
-
One who breaks (violates) the law, a criminal.
People often assume that speedboarders are disrespectful lawbreakers.
2007 November 28, Nick Kolich, “Speedboarders fly down hills”, in The Beacon:I'm just a poor old man. I have no time for law-breakers. My legs are grey. My ears are gnarled. My eyes are old and bent.
1979, Monty Python's Life of Brian, spoken by Matthias (John Young):Mr. Grimm pleaded guilty to a single count of tax fraud and was convicted in July 2015; he went on to serve eight months in prison. Lawmaker, law enforcer and lawbreaker — that’s a heck of a résumé, and alliterative, too!
2017 February 18, John Schwartz, “Tax Advice From Lawmakers Turned Lawbreakers”, in The New York Times:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| law-breaker | alternative | lexicographic | |
| lawbreakers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (26)
ru правонаруши́тельница (person who breaks the law) · ru престу́пница (person who breaks the law) · pl przestępczyni (person who breaks the law) · fr hors-la-loi (person who breaks the law) · ml നിയമലംഘകൻ (person who breaks the law) · uk злочи́нниця (person who breaks the law) · cu законопрѣстѫпьникъ (person who breaks the law) · uk злочи́нець (person who breaks the law) · uk пору́шник зако́ну (person who breaks the law) · fi lainrikkoja (person who breaks the law) · fr criminel (person who breaks the law) · la lēgirupa (person who breaks the law) · et seaduserikkuja (person who breaks the law) · nb lovbryter (person who breaks the law) · hu törvényszegő (person who breaks the law) · fa خاطی (person who breaks the law) · mk престапник (person who breaks the law) · cu прѣстѫпьникъ (person who breaks the law) · pl przestępca (person who breaks the law) · ru престу́пник (person who breaks the law) · fa قانونشکن (person who breaks the law) · bg закононаруши́тел (person who breaks the law) · uk правопору́шник (person who breaks the law) · uk правопору́шниця (person who breaks the law) · uk пору́шниця зако́ну (person who breaks the law) · ru правонаруши́тель (person who breaks the law)