English Reference
noun · verb

lawyer

n. · v.
US /ˈɫɔɪɝ/ UK /lˈɔɪɐ/ lawyer UK spelling lawyer's, lawyer's, lawyered

  1. 01 A2 Elementary Law

    n.a person who is trained in law and gives advice to people about their legal rights and duties.

    n.a professional qualified to practice law, including providing legal advice and representing clients in civil or criminal proceedings.

    Simple

    If you are buying a house, you should hire a lawyer to check the contract.

    In context

    The defendant consulted with his lawyer for several hours before deciding whether to testify in his own defence during the trial.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Informal Law

    v.to work as a lawyer or to use legal arguments to solve a problem.

    v.to practice law or to apply legalistic reasoning to a situation, often used in an informal or slightly critical way.

    Simple

    He tried to lawyer his way out of the parking ticket by finding a tiny mistake on the form.

    In context

    The executive attempted to lawyer the agreement until the original intent of the partnership was completely obscured by technical clauses.

    litigateadvocate
  3. 03 C2 Proficiency Dialect

    n.a name used in some places for plants with sharp, hooked thorns that catch on clothes.

    n.a regional or dialectal name for various climbing plants with hooked prickles, such as certain brambles.

    Simple

    Be careful walking through those bushes; the lawyers will tear your trousers.

    In context

    The hikers struggled through a dense thicket of lawyers that snagged their gear and scratched their exposed skin.

    bramblebriar

Usage lawyers argued · lawyers argue · lawyers wrote


From Middle English lawiere, lawier, lawer, equivalent to law + -yer.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English lawiere
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Common
Updated