The AI-powered English dictionary
plural outlaws
A fugitive from the law. examples
(history) A criminal who is excluded from normal legal rights; one who can be killed at will without legal penalty.
A person who operates outside established norms. examples
A wild horse. examples
(humorous) An in-law: a relative by marriage. examples
(humorous) One who would be an in-law except that the marriage-like relationship is unofficial. examples
(slang) A prostitute who works alone, without a pimp. quotations
Without a pimp, she was an "outlaw," likely to be harassed, or threatened with assault or robbery on the street.
1977, Joseph Julian, Social Problems, page 463
She was an outlaw. Chance is doing some double-checking to see if she had a pimp nobody knew about, but it doesn't look likely.
2010, Lawrence Block, Eight Million Ways To Die
third-person singular simple present outlaws, present participle outlawing, simple past and past participle outlawed
To declare illegal. examples
To place a ban upon. quotations examples
The legal change in England and Wales will outlaw selling, manufacturing, renting or importing zombie knives.
2016 August 15, “'Zombie knives' ban to come into force”, in BBC News
To remove from legal jurisdiction or enforcement. examples
To deprive of legal force. quotations examples
our English common law was outlawed in those parts.
a. 1662 (date written), Thomas Fuller, The History of the Worthies of England, London: […] J[ohn] G[rismond,] W[illiam] L[eybourne] and W[illiam] G[odbid], published 1662