OUTLAW Synonyms: 132 Similar and Opposite Words

outlaw 1 of 2

verb

Definition of outlaw

as in to ban

to make or declare contrary to the law a push to outlaw smoking in all public buildings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to prohibit

to order not to do or use or to be done or used fed up with the constant interruptions, the physician has outlawed all cell phone use from his office

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

outlaw

2 of 2

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of outlaw

Verb

The legislation fails to address the property rights of the owners of about 200 horses and the 68 medallions as well as the iffy legal question of outlawing what not only has been a legal trade, but one formally licensed and sanctioned by the city. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026 But baiting live sharks so tourists can watch them would be outlawed. — Kate Waxman, Sun Sentinel, 19 July 2026

Noun

Olyphant makes a captivating father figure, his outlaw-philosopher charm obscuring the inevitable flaws of a man who raised his daughter to be a criminal. — Judy Berman, Time, 15 July 2026 Jay embodies the various complexities and contradictions of hip-hop, the outlaw tendencies meeting the capitalistic ambitions. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for outlaw

Recent Examples of Synonyms for outlaw

Verb

But with France about to enter its peak August tourist season, Gironde authorities took more steps to keep vacationers away, banning holiday camps for children and for people with disabilities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 July 2026
Stacy co-sponsored a controversial bill that ultimately died in 2023, HB 419, which sought to ban gender transition procedures, hormones and puberty blockers for minors.

— Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026

Definition of ban

Verb

Wasserman also harkened back to the 1984 Los Angeles Games, when Mayor Tom Bradley prohibited delivery trucks during peak daytime hours.

— Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 24 July 2026
While some religions, including Hinduism and Islam, prohibit or discourage intoxication, others use alcohol to connect with the divine.

— Tim Brinkhof, Time, 23 July 2026

Definition of prohibit

Noun

People in northwest Nigeria are caught between regular attacks by bandit groups who specialize in kidnapping for ransom and Islamist militants who have been expanding their territory.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
Instead, most are romantic stories about young lovers separated by fate, and the rest are swashbuckling adventures full of bandits and pirates.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026

Definition of bandit

Verb

Nicaragua’s last election in 2021 was widely disputed after Ortega detained opponents and business leaders and criminalized dissent.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
The case drew condemnation from governments and human rights organizations, which argued the charges criminalized artistic expression and political dissent.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of criminalize

Verb

The fastest e-bikes — manufactured to go 28 mph at top speed, according to factory specifications, but can be easily modified to go much, much faster — are already forbidden in county parks and on the West Orange Trail.

— Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2026
During the 19th century, traditional Tahitian dance performed at the annual Heiva (pronounced Hay-vah) was forbidden.

— Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2026

Definition of forbid

Noun

The detective-heroines (and especially the actress-detectives) in this canon are careful about how performance might be extended to social duplicity, dishonesty, and fraud—but the lady criminals of Victorian detective fiction cross this line easily.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026
From 1873 to 1991, the island served as Costa Rica’s principal penitentiary, where some of the country’s worst criminals were sent to serve often short and torturous sentences.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026

Definition of criminal

Verb

Basis for the suit to illegalize the union, lawyers explained, is the difference in race between the participants.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, sandiegouniontribune.com, 28 Feb. 2018
Rather than negotiating a political agreement, Madrid decided to illegalize Basque political parties allegedly linked with terrorism and to prosecute their leaders.

— Sergi Pardos-Prado, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2017

Definition of illegalize

Noun

After all, what are the pirate-ship kitchens Bourdain recounts early in Kitchen Confidential if not a more dangerous, adult version of the juvenile hijinks that have always fascinated Johnson?

— Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 July 2026
One, a delight for the kitchen — the pressure, the camaraderie, the artist's heart, the pirate's adoration of heat and knives — and, another, hard drugs.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026

Definition of pirate

Browse Nearby Words

outlasts

outlaw

outlawed

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Outlaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlaw. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of outlaw

verb

noun

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