lawbreaker
See also: law-breaker
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Middle English lawbreker, lawe brekare; equivalent to law + breaker.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈlɔːbɹeɪkə/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈlɔ.bɹeɪkɚ/
- (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /ˈlɑ.bɹeɪkɚ/
Audio (General American, cot–caught merger): (file)
Noun
[edit]lawbreaker (plural lawbreakers)
- One who breaks (violates) the law, a criminal.
- 1979, Monty Python's Life of Brian, spoken by Matthias (John Young):
- 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.
- 2007 November 28, Nick Kolich, “Speedboarders fly down hills”, in The Beacon[1]:
- People often assume that speedboarders are disrespectful lawbreakers.
- 2017 February 18, John Schwartz, “Tax Advice From Lawmakers Turned Lawbreakers”, in The New York Times[2]:
- 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!
Translations
[edit]person who breaks the law
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