lawman

noun

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

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.
The Naked Gun is a direct sequel to the original trilogy, with Neeson playing Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., son of Nielsen's bumbling lawman. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 June 2025 Waterston plays District Attorney Forrest Bedford, a Southern lawman who forms a bond with his Black housekeeper, Lilly Harper, played by Taylor. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 13 June 2025 Roles on the frontier shifted constantly: Gunfighters became marshals, cowboys became killers, pimps became lawmen. Paul Begala, New York Times, 31 May 2025 Often playing tough-talking lawmen or villains, the following decade saw Baker appear in films like 1984’s The Natural, 1985’s Fletch, and 1988’s Criminal Law. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for lawman

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lawman was in 1944

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lawman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lawman. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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