law offender
- noun
- /lɔː ˈɔːfɛndər/
:
infractor de la ley
- The police are searching for the law offender who escaped custody last night.
Examples
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The government has introduced new measures to rehabilitate law offenders.
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The law offender was caught stealing.
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A repeat law offender may face harsher penalties under the justice system.
-
Many law offenders face severe penalties.
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The judge sentenced the law offender to three years in prison for committing fraud.
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After repeatedly breaking traffic rules, he was labeled a habitual law offender by the police.
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As a community service requirement, the law offender had to participate in youth outreach programs.
Synonyms
∞
2.1
A person who has committed a crime or broken the law
304
3.5
A person who has committed a crime or broken the law
161
6.8
A person who commits a crime or other serious wrong
22
8.4
A person who does bad things or breaks the law
19
5.1
A person who breaks a law or other rule
11
3.8
A person who does things that are against the law
8
4.3
A person who breaks the law or hurts other people
5
9.9
A person who often ignores laws or court orders
3
7.7
A person who breaks a law or important rule
Antonyms
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person who violates the law' is directly and compositionally derived from 'law' (statute/regulation) + 'offender' (one who violates), so the overall sense is predictable from the parts. Even if the exact collocation 'law offender' is somewhat less idiomatic than 'lawbreaker' or simply 'offender', the semantic logic is straightforward and cross-linguistically available, making it accessible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Law offender paints a simple picture: someone who steps past the law line and is an offender for 'going against' the rules. That's why it means a person who 'breaks' or 'disobeys' the law.