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Meaning & use

outlawed

verb, adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈaʊtlɔːd/
US/ˈaʊtlɔːd/

“outlawed” is a form of “outlaw”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive

    Made something illegal by law, or officially banned it.

    Grammar: Takes an object, or appears in the passive: parliament outlawed the practice; the practice was outlawed.

    Patterns

    • outlawed something
    • something was outlawed

    The government outlawed smoking in public buildings.

    Child labor was outlawed in the country over a century ago.

    The new rules outlawed the sale of fireworks to children.

  2. adjectivebefore a noun

    Banned by law and no longer legal to do, own or sell.

    Grammar: Usually before a noun: an outlawed practice. It can also follow be: the group is outlawed.

    Patterns

    • an outlawed practice
    • be outlawed

    Outlawed chemicals were still found in the river.

    The outlawed party continued to meet in secret.

Word forms

baseoutlaw
third personoutlaws
-ingoutlawing

Common combinations

outlawed by law
The practice was outlawed by a new law last year.
officially outlawed
Smoking on trains was officially outlawed.
outlawed substance
The athlete tested positive for an outlawed substance.
outlawed group
The outlawed group moved its meetings abroad.
since outlawed
The pesticide has since been outlawed.

Synonyms and how they differ

banned
Banned is the everyday word and can come from any authority, including a school, while outlawed stresses that the law itself forbids it.
prohibited
Prohibited is more formal and common in rules and signs, while outlawed fits laws and news reports.
forbidden
Forbidden can come from a person or a custom, not just the law.
criminalized
Criminalized stresses that doing it is now a crime with punishment, not just forbidden.

Opposites

legalizedpermitted

Word family

outlaw verb
to make something illegal
outlaw noun
a criminal who is hiding from the law
law noun
a rule made by a government
outlawry noun
the state of being an outlaw, an old legal term

Commonly confused: outlawed or unlawful?

outlawed vs unlawful

Unlawful describes something already against the law. Outlawed describes something that was made illegal by a law, often after being legal before.

Practice

The town ___ cars in the old center last year, so no one may drive there now.

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