as in policemen
a member of a force charged with law enforcement at the local level
as the rural county's chief lawman, the sheriff has to patrol a vast area with only minimal manpower
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 lawmen
Who was this irritant who had eluded the most sophisticated lawmen in the country, thanks to the triviality of his crimes?
—
David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Cinematic lawmen like Little Bill in Unforgiven and Wyatt Earp in My Darling Clementine—films that inspired Eddington—commanded their towns with a near iron will.
—Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams as lawmen whose desert discovery leads down a path to information about the Kennedy assassination.
—Rich Heldenfels, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Kirsh’s shock of white hair and dry, sardonic air give Olyphant refreshing distance from the upright lawmen he’s known for.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Cinematic lawmen like Little Bill in Unforgiven and Wyatt Earp in My Darling Clementine—films that inspired Eddington—commanded their towns with a near iron will.
—Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams as lawmen whose desert discovery leads down a path to information about the Kennedy assassination.
—Rich Heldenfels, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Kirsh’s shock of white hair and dry, sardonic air give Olyphant refreshing distance from the upright lawmen he’s known for.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lawmen
Noun
-
In the last section of her piece Didion pivots to a more writerly register, drawing out how policemen have become unreliable narrators in the public square.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Dec. 2025
-
While Kardashian was staying at the No Address Hotel for Paris Fashion Week, five men dressed as policemen allegedly broke into her room and tied up her hands and feet before putting her in a bathtub.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In one scene, Marty jumps out of a window and climbs down a fire escape to evade the cops.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
10 Jan. 2026
-
For at least the third time in just over a year, Humphrey has rejected most serious charges against rule-breaking cops.—
Stephanie Stremplewski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The officers and the homeowner were not injured in the incident, police said.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Authorities said some of the victims were transported by private vehicle to a local hospital before officers arrived on scene.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That law change came more than half a decade after a joint WAVE News and Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting investigation highlighted the lack of training and accountability for the state’s constables, including some who had criminal records of their own.—
Josh Wood,
Louisville Courier Journal,
15 Dec. 2025
-
The law required sheriffs and constables to execute those orders — and enslavers paid them for their efforts.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Those sheriffs were featured in a recent Courier Journal investigation that found that one in six Kentucky counties has had a sheriff criminally charged or convicted since 2010.—
Josh Wood,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lawmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lawmen. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
