rules lawyer
rules lawyer noun: someone who attempts to take advantage of a given set of rules, usually by using an overly-literal interpretation that is contrary to their intent, or by selectively choosing which rules take precedence in a given situation.
Noun
rules lawyer (plural rules lawyers)
- Someone who attempts to take advantage of a given set of rules, usually by using an overly-literal interpretation that is contrary to their intent, or by selectively choosing which rules take precedence in a given situation.
Verb
rules lawyer (third-person singular simple present rules lawyers, present participle rules lawyering, simple past and past participle rules lawyered)
- To behave as a rules lawyer.
Forms of rules lawyer
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | rules lawyers |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | rules lawyers |
| present participle | rules lawyering |
| past participle | rules lawyered |
| past | rules lawyered |
| alternative form | rules-lawyer |
Questions about rules lawyer
- What does rules lawyer mean?
- Rules lawyer means someone who attempts to take advantage of a given set of rules, usually by using an overly-literal interpretation that is contrary to their intent, or by selectively choosing which rules take precedence in a given situation.
- What part of speech is rules lawyer?
- Rules lawyer can be a noun or a verb.
- What is the plural of rules lawyer?
- The plural of rules lawyer is rules lawyers.
Words near rules lawyer in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: rules lawyer (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-rules lawyer.ogg.
Cite this entry: “rules lawyer.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/rules_lawyer. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.