lawman

noun

law·​man ˈlȯ-mən How to pronounce lawman (audio)
Synonyms of lawmannext
: a law-enforcement officer (such as a sheriff or marshal)

Synonyms of lawman

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of lawman in a Sentence

Wyatt Earp was a famous American lawman of the Wild West. as the rural county's chief lawman, the sheriff has to patrol a vast area with only minimal manpower
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Mueller, consistent with his decades as a button-down lawman, gave many one-word answers. — Josh Meyer, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026 As the lawmen avoided the beam of light and approached the car, the suspects were able to get inside and lock the doors. — Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026 In the title role, Norris embodied the archetype of the stoic but good-hearted Old West lawman. — Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026 Pursued by legendary lawman Pat Garrett and his ambitious young deputy, Ross takes refuge at a remote homestead ravaged by diphtheria. — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for lawman

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lawman was in 1937

Rhymes for lawman

See All Rhymes for lawman

Browse Nearby Words

lawmaker
lawman
law merchant
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lawman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lawman. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

lawman

noun
law·​man ˈlȯ-mən How to pronounce lawman (audio)
: a law-enforcement officer (as a sheriff or marshal)

More from Merriam-Webster on lawman

Nglish: Translation of lawman for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All