vigilante

noun
UK: /ˌvɪdʒɪˈlæntiː/
US: /ˌvɪdʒɪˈlænti/

  1. A person who illegally punishes criminals or people they think are criminals.

    1. He became a vigilante and fought crime. [ ] [ ]
    2. The vigilante group took the law into their own hands, terrorizing the town. [ ] [ ]

  2. Relating to actions done by a person or group of people who try in an illegal way to prevent crime or punish criminals.

    1. This is vigilante justice, not lawful. [ ] [ ]
    2. The town was plagued by vigilante violence as residents sought to control crime. [ ] [ ]
vigilante adjective

  1. Relating to or characteristic of a vigilante.

    1. The vigilante actions shocked everyone. [ ] [ ]
    2. Driven by desperation, they adopted a vigilante approach to restoring order. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "vigilante" in English means: A person who illegally punishes criminals or people they think are criminals., Relating to actions done by a person or group of people who try in an illegal way to prevent crime or punish criminals..

The phonetic transcription of "vigilante" is /ˌvɪdʒɪˈlæntiː/ in British English and /ˌvɪdʒɪˈlænti/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Example usage of "vigilante": "He became a vigilante and fought crime.". More examples on the page.