vigilante

play

noun vig·i·lan·te \ ˌvi-jə-ˈlan-tē \

Definition of vigilante

:a member of a volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily (as when the processes of law are viewed as inadequate); broadly :a self-appointed doer of justice

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vigilantism

play \ˌvi-jə-ˈlan-ˌti-zəm\ noun

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Examples of vigilante in a Sentence

the danger of these self-appointed vigilantes is that they sometimes go after innocent people

Recent Examples of vigilante from the Web

An artist and philosopher rather than a vigilante by temperament, Hamlet shares with us his thinking, testing contingencies and provisionally assigning blame, most savagely against himself.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "Who is Hamlet? Three actors make their case," 19 Aug. 2017
Police said about 2,100 deaths among some 13,500 murders over the same period were drugs-related, attributed to turf wars, informants being silenced, or vigilantes killing drug users.

— manuel mogato, The Christian Science Monitor, "More casualties in Philippines president's anti-drug, anti-crime campaign," 17 Aug. 2017
That was enough to set the digital vigilantes to work on Kompothecras, the son of a wealthy Sarasota chiropractor.

— glenn garvin, miamiherald, "A real-life ‘Jaws,’ but this time it’s the shark-killers who are being hunted," 30 July 2017
In December 1972, three young black Detroiters, described by supporters as anti-dope vigilantes, wounded STRESS officers in a wild shootout.

— bill mcgraw, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit 67: The deep scars the city still feels today," 29 July 2017
The landmark 1993 Knightfall storyline left Wayne temporarily paralyzed, leading him to appoint a vigilante called Azrael as his Batman replacement.

— kim masters, The Hollywood Reporter, "Ben Affleck's Batman Future in Doubt as Warner Bros. Plots Franchise," 21 July 2017
Many of the group’s vigilantes monitor checkpoints, while others fight directly alongside the Nigerian army.

— aria bendix, The Atlantic, "Nigeria Suicide Bombings Kill At Least 17," 12 July 2017
Kobach, who is known for being an anti-immigration and voter fraud vigilante, sent a letter to all states seeking personal and sensitive voter information.

— jeff darcy, cleveland.com, "Trump and Putin discuss hacking: Darcy cartoon," 8 July 2017
Kobach, who is known for being an anti-immigration and voter fraud vigilante, sent a letter to all states seeking personal and sensitive voter information.

— jeff darcy, cleveland.com, "Trump and Putin discuss hacking: Darcy cartoon," 8 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vigilante.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Meaning and Origin of vigilante

Vigilante entered English in the 19th century, borrowed from the Spanish word of the same spelling which meant “watchman, guard” in that language. The Spanish word can be traced back to the Latin vigilare, meaning “to keep awake.” The earliest use of the word in English was to refer to a member of a vigilance committee, a committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily, as when the processes of law appear inadequate. The word may often be found in an attributive role, as in the phrases “vigilante justice,” or “vigilante group.” In this slightly broadened sense it carries the suggestion of the enforcement of laws without regard to due process or the general rule of law.