Word.ws English Dictionary

scofflaw

Syllables: scoff·lawUS/ˈskɔfˌlɔ/

scofflaw noun: a criminal or lawbreaker, especially one who is openly contemptuous or dismissive of current laws or displays conspicuous or outward disrespect, distain, or disregard for the law.

Noun

scofflaw (plural scofflaws)

  1. a criminal or lawbreaker, especially one who is openly contemptuous or dismissive of current laws or displays conspicuous or outward disrespect, distain, or disregard for the law
  2. (US) One who habitually violates minor laws or fails to answer trivial court summonses (such as parking tickets).
    • The scofflaw entered the scoflsloon. He leaned an elbow on the scoffbar and rested a foot on the scoffrail.
      'Waddle'y' have?" said the scoffbartender.
      "A little tea," said the scofflaw.1925, Wholesale Grocery Review
    • If we are to scour out the scofflaws, we must first remove those particular laws at which nearly everybody scoffs.1926, The Independent, volume 117

scofflaw meaning in Tamil

scofflaw in Tamil

மத வழிபாட்டுக்கான சிலைகளை உடைப்பவர், நாத்திகவாதி, சமூகப் புரட்சியாளர்

Examples of scofflaw in a sentence

  • Within six months, with the full cooperation of police throughout the state, the scofflaw rate was down to 22 per cent.1967, Police: The Journal Covering the Professional Interests of All Law Enforcement Personnel, volumes 12-13:
  • At that time, appellant was informed that because there were unpaid tickets in the amount of $2,725.00, his Datsun had been declared a "scofflaw" car.1990, West's New York Supplement:

Forms of scofflaw

pluralscofflaws

Origin of scofflaw

From scoff + law. Coined simultaneously by Mr Henry Irving Dale and Miss Kate L. Butler for a contest held in Boston in 1923 in which a word for "a lawless drinker of illegally made or illegally obtained liquor" was sought during the Prohibition era.

Questions about scofflaw

What does scofflaw mean?
Scofflaw means a criminal or lawbreaker, especially one who is openly contemptuous or dismissive of current laws or displays conspicuous or outward disrespect, distain, or disregard for the law.
What is scofflaw in Tamil?
Scofflaw in Tamil is மத வழிபாட்டுக்கான சிலைகளை உடைப்பவர், நாத்திகவாதி, சமூகப் புரட்சியாளர். See Scofflaw meaning in Tamil.
How do you use scofflaw in a sentence?
Within six months, with the full cooperation of police throughout the state, the scofflaw rate was down to 22 per cent.
What part of speech is scofflaw?
Scofflaw is a noun.
How do you pronounce scofflaw?
Scofflaw is pronounced /ˈskɔfˌlɔ/ (US).
What is the plural of scofflaw?
The plural of scofflaw is scofflaws.

Words near scofflaw in the dictionary

  1. scoffing up
  2. scoffing-stock
  3. scoffing-stocks
  4. scoffingly
  5. scoffings
  6. scofflaw
  7. scofflawry
  8. scofflaws
  9. scoffs
  10. scoffs down
  11. scoffs up

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: scofflaw (page history and authors); scofflaw (Tamil Wiktionary) (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: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-scofflaw.wav.

Cite this entry: “scofflaw.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/scofflaw. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.