ambulance chaser

noun

: a lawyer or lawyer's agent who incites accident victims to sue for damages
ambulance chasing noun

Examples of ambulance chaser in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Critics knock 'ambulance chasers at times of racial trauma. Neal Justin, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2023 This results in people who use astrology as an excuse to be an ambulance chaser or to create viral, fear-mongering social media content. Diana Rose Harper, Wired, 5 Jan. 2022 On the one hand, people have referred to you as Black America’s attorney general, helping David fight Goliath, while on the other, critics have called you an opportunist or ambulance chaser. Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2020 Corporations portrayed tort lawyers as ambulance chasers seeking to make a buck through frivolous litigation. Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2019 Then, after Notre Dame cathedral burned in April, architects played ambulance chasers, rushing in with drawings that proposed rebuilding the landmark with such nonsensical features as a rooftop swimming pool and a twisting spire. Blair Kamin, chicagotribune.com, 19 July 2019 The once obvious distinction between white-shoe-firm lawyer and ambulance chaser is no longer so clear. James Atlas, Town & Country, 3 Dec. 2018 And her lawyer, who a couple of months ago might have been dismissed as a flash-in-the-pan ambulance chaser, turns out to be a guy who graduated from a top-tier law school at the top of his class. Rachel Dodes, Vanities, 17 May 2018 And Jeff Wall, who has done a creditable job of making Trump seem normal, is reduced to little more than an ambulance chaser in a powder-blue suit—someone whose lying client is making a mockery of the court. Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Magazine, 5 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ambulance chaser.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ambulance chaser was in 1896

Dictionary Entries Near ambulance chaser

Cite this Entry

“Ambulance chaser.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambulance%20chaser. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Legal Definition

ambulance chaser

noun
am·​bu·​lance chas·​er
: a lawyer or lawyer's agent who solicits accident victims to sue for damages

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