Legal Definitions - outlaw

The term outlaw can function as both a noun and a verb, with distinct but related meanings.

As a noun, an outlaw refers to a person who habitually breaks the law, especially one who is a fugitive from justice or operates outside the established legal system. Historically, an outlaw was someone officially declared to be outside the protection of the law, meaning they lost all legal rights and could be harmed without legal consequence. While this extreme historical practice no longer exists, the modern usage still conveys the idea of someone living or acting beyond the reach of legal authority.

As a verb, to outlaw means to make something illegal or to prohibit an activity by law.

• Example 1 (Noun - Modern Criminal/Fugitive):

  After committing a series of high-profile art thefts across international borders, the elusive criminal became known as a notorious outlaw, constantly evading capture and operating outside the jurisdiction of any single nation's police force.

  This illustrates the noun form of "outlaw" because the individual is a fugitive from justice, consistently breaking laws and avoiding legal accountability, embodying the modern sense of someone operating beyond the reach of the law.

• Example 2 (Verb - Making something illegal):

  In response to growing public health concerns, the state legislature voted to outlaw the sale of flavored vaping products to minors, making it illegal for retailers to offer these items to anyone under the age of 21.

  Here, "outlaw" is used as a verb, demonstrating how a legislative body can make a specific activity—the sale of flavored vaping products to minors—illegal through the enactment of a new law.

• Example 3 (Verb - Prohibiting an activity):

  Following a significant increase in poaching incidents, the national park service decided to outlaw all hunting within the park's boundaries, regardless of species or season, to protect endangered wildlife populations.

  This example uses "outlaw" as a verb to show how an authority can prohibit an activity—hunting—by declaring it illegal within a specific area, thereby removing it from legal permission.