# outlaw

/ˈaʊtˌɫɔ/ (US) · /ˈaʊtlɔː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/outlaw
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a fugitive

noun · CEFR B2

a person who has broken the law and is hiding from the police, especially in stories about the past.

For teachers: a person who has broken the law and remains at large; historically, a person deprived of the protection of the law.

- The famous outlaw hid in the forest to escape the king's soldiers.
- Historical accounts of the American West often romanticise the outlaw as a misunderstood hero rather than a violent criminal.

### 3. to make illegal

verb · CEFR B2

to make something illegal so that people are not allowed to do it.

For teachers: to prohibit something by making it illegal through legislation or official decree.

- The government decided to outlaw smoking in all public parks.
- The new legislation aims to outlaw predatory lending practices that target vulnerable households during economic downturns.

### 4. humorous term for in-laws

noun · CEFR C2 · Humorous · Informal

a funny way to talk about your relatives by marriage, like your husband's or wife's parents.

For teachers: a humorous play on the word 'in-law', used to refer to a relative by marriage.

- We are spending Christmas with the outlaws this year.
- He jokingly referred to his wife's boisterous brothers as the outlaws whenever they visited for the weekend.

## Examples

- The outlaw hid in the mountains to avoid the sheriff.
- Folk stories often turn a violent outlaw into a hero who steals from the rich to help the poor.
- The frontier was often governed by a fragile peace, frequently disrupted by outlaws who exploited the lack of a centralized police force to evade capture across state lines.

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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.