# lawyer

/ˈɫɔɪɝ/ (US) · /lˈɔɪɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/lawyer
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. legal professional

noun · CEFR A2

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

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

- If you are buying a house, you should hire a lawyer to check the contract.
- The defendant consulted with his lawyer for several hours before deciding whether to testify in his own defence during the trial.

### 2. to do legal work

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

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

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

- He tried to lawyer his way out of the parking ticket by finding a tiny mistake on the form.
- The executive attempted to lawyer the agreement until the original intent of the partnership was completely obscured by technical clauses.

### 3. thorny plant

noun · CEFR C2 · Dialect

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

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

- Be careful walking through those bushes; the lawyers will tear your trousers.
- The hikers struggled through a dense thicket of lawyers that snagged their gear and scratched their exposed skin.

## Examples

- You should talk to a lawyer before you sign that contract.
- The company hired a lawyer to help them understand the new safety regulations for their factory.
- While some legal matters can be handled independently, complex corporate mergers require a lawyer to ensure every clause complies with international trade standards.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.