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
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Recent Examples of lawmen
The moral decay of Karensville might as well be Charlottesville and the epithet-spewing McLeoud behaves too much like myriad red-state lawmen for comfort.
—
Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
As the lawmen avoided the beam of light and approached the car, the suspects were able to get inside and lock the doors.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
That church would become a topic of scrutiny and sensationalism by regional lawmen and news outlets alike throughout much of 1912.
—Lauren Nicole Henley, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2026
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
Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
As the lawmen avoided the beam of light and approached the car, the suspects were able to get inside and lock the doors.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
That church would become a topic of scrutiny and sensationalism by regional lawmen and news outlets alike throughout much of 1912.
—Lauren Nicole Henley, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lawmen
Noun
-
To be honest, this risk goes also to nurses, policemen, teachers, doctors, public servants.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
An unknown bomb-thrower at a labor rally sparked the Haymarket Affair on the Near West Side; eight policemen and at least four civilians died.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Burke, who cops said is homeless, was also arrested three times in February for assault, burglary, resisting arrest, drugs and weapons charges.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
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As the number of people in the database grew, DNA technology has advanced, protesters said, giving cops access to more kinds of biological identifiers.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
After some counting—and the consulting of an Excel spreadsheet—the officers determined that Silvia and Guojun were the parents of twenty-one children in total, nearly all under the age of three.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
After a series of coups by officers dissatisfied with lagging counterterrorism efforts, juntas in the three countries booted France altogether, establishing close ties with Russia instead.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Troopers and Beacon Falls constables responded to the home and detained Drozdowski, state police said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
6 May 2026
-
Off stage, Benedick and Beatrice spar their way toward the aisle, while our bumbling constables take center stage.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The author argues that sheriffs should not have independent authority over ballots and election procedures, and calls for the state legislature to clarify sheriff powers by amending the constitution to make sheriffs appointed rather than elected, similar to police chiefs.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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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 16 May. 2026.
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