VocabauraVOCABAURA

outlaw

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A fugitive from the law.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

owtlaw

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈaʊtlɔ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A fugitive from the law.

  2. humorous

    An in-law: a relative by marriage.

  3. A person who operates outside established norms.

  4. history

    A criminal who is excluded from normal legal rights; one who can be killed at will without legal penalty.

  5. A wild or violent animal, such as a horse.

verb

  1. transitive

    To declare illegal.

  2. transitive

    To place a ban upon.

  3. transitive

    To make or declare (a person) an outlaw.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A fugitive from the law.

Used this way, outlaw is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a legal use: the wording is institutional and carries a defined meaning in law rather than a loose everyday one.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Law/legal
  • Government/politics
  • Academic writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “outlaw”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Law

outlaw band

Criminal

outlaw gang

Other combinations

outlaw motorcycleoutlaw discriminationsexual outlawyoung outlawgender outlaw

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “outlaw” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.