OUTLAWS Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

outlaws 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of outlaw

as in bans

to make or declare contrary to the law a push to outlaw smoking in all public buildings

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in forbids

to order not to do or use or to be done or used fed up with the constant interruptions, the physician has outlawed all cell phone use from his office

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

outlaws

2 of 2

noun

plural of outlaw

as in criminals

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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 outlaws

Verb

The Big Apple already outlaws full-sized tractor-trailers from its surface streets, though the law is almost never enforced. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026 The Invasive Species Management Act outlaws the sale and spread of 30 species, like the Bradford (or Callery) pear, Japanese barberry and running bamboo, throughout the Garden State. — Nick Caloway, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026 Even if the Supreme Court soon outlaws the use of race in shaping congressional districts, state lawmakers still have to work within Florida’s Fair Districts amendment. — Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026 By banning federal agencies from considering systemic racism or equity in AI development, the order effectively outlaws the very efforts needed to fix these problems. — Joel Bervell, Time, 14 Nov. 2025 North Carolina The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission outlaws the sale of alcoholic beverages through happy hour promotions. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025 Texas passed an artificial intelligence law in June that similarly outlaws the collection of biometric data without permission. — Bobby Allyn, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025 But that route may no longer be open to them because of a crucial win by the Biden-era Justice Department against Alphabet last year, one where a federal judge deemed Alphabet and its search-engine business violated Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which outlaws monopolies. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for outlaws

Verb

The lawsuit marks the latest crackdown under the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, also known as the BOTS Act, which bans scalpers from circumventing ticket limits with technology.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
The law bans social media accounts for Florida children under 14 and requires parental consent for use by kids who are 14 or 15.

— CBS News, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of bans

Verb

Yet since the American Medical Association Code of Ethics explicitly forbids physician participation in capital punishment, executions are rarely, if ever, performed by expert clinicians.

— Dr. Jacob Appel, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
The plaintiffs in that case argued that their faiths allowed or required the procedure in circumstances the ban currently forbids.

— Rachel Rebouché, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of forbids

Noun

That is what makes seemingly basic personal information so useful to criminals.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Pillay, 85, received the news while attending a forum in Nuremberg, Germany, where the trials of Nazi war criminals helped lay the foundations of international law.

— Stefanie Dazio, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminals

Verb

Existing law still criminalizes appearing in public without an Islamic hijab.

— Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
The attire had caused a stir in Qatar, a country that criminalizes gay relationships, and Grant was even briefly refused entry into the match.

— Sam McDowell July 1, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

Definition of criminalizes

Verb

Specifically, the law prohibits municipal governments from requiring businesses to set specific wages, benefits or working conditions under contract, and bars them from forcing businesses to join task forces formed to address those issues.

— Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026
Federal law directly prohibits federal troops or armed officers, including federal law enforcement agents, from appearing at polling places during an election.

— Danielle Friedman, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of prohibits

Noun

The father pulls over, and the car is immediately swarmed over by bandits, who brutally kill him — plus his wife and two kids — with no mercy.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
In the decade of violent conflicts that followed, attacks on border towns and seizures of American property by revolutionaries and bandits prompted the United States to send two military expeditions into Mexico.

— Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of bandits

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outlawry

outlaws

outlay

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“Outlaws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlaws. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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verb

noun

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