Standard Lemma guide

lawbreaker

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈlɔːbɹeɪkə/
  • US: /ˈlɔ.bɹeɪkɚ/
  • cot-caught-merger: /ˈlɑ.bɹeɪkɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: L AO1 B R EY2 K ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who breaks (violates) the law, a criminal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who violates the law

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: violator, law offender

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: criminal, felon, crook, outlaw, malefactor

History

Etymology

From Middle English lawbreker, lawe brekare; equivalent to law + breaker.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: закононаруши́тел (zakononarušítel) — person who breaks the law
  • Estonian: seaduserikkuja — person who breaks the law
  • Finnish: lainrikkoja — person who breaks the law
  • French: hors-la-loi — person who breaks the law
  • French: criminel — person who breaks the law
  • Hungarian: törvényszegő — person who breaks the law
  • Latin: lēgirupa — person who breaks the law
  • Macedonian: престапник (prestapnik) — person who breaks the law
  • Malayalam: നിയമലംഘകൻ (niyamalaṅghakaṉ) — person who breaks the law
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lovbryter — person who breaks the law
  • Church Slavic: прѣстѫпьникъ (prěstǫpĭnikŭ) — person who breaks the law
  • Church Slavic: законопрѣстѫпьникъ (zakonoprěstǫpĭnikŭ) — person who breaks the law
  • Persian: خاطی (xâti) — person who breaks the law
  • Persian: قانونشکن (qânun-šekan) — person who breaks the law
  • Polish: przestępca — person who breaks the law
  • Polish: przestępczyni — person who breaks the law
  • Russian: правонаруши́тель (pravonarušítelʹ) — person who breaks the law
  • Russian: правонаруши́тельница (pravonarušítelʹnica) — person who breaks the law
  • Russian: престу́пник (prestúpnik) — person who breaks the law
  • Russian: престу́пница (prestúpnica) — person who breaks the law
  • Ukrainian: правопору́шник (pravoporúšnyk) — person who breaks the law
  • Ukrainian: правопору́шниця (pravoporúšnycja) — person who breaks the law
  • Ukrainian: злочи́нець (zločýnecʹ) — person who breaks the law
  • Ukrainian: злочи́нниця (zločýnnycja) — person who breaks the law
  • Ukrainian: пору́шник зако́ну (porúšnyk zakónu) — person who breaks the law
  • Ukrainian: пору́шниця зако́ну (porúšnycja zakónu) — person who breaks the law