nonlawyer

noun

non·​law·​yer ˌnän-ˈlȯ-yər How to pronounce nonlawyer (audio)
-ˈlȯi-ər
plural nonlawyers
: one who is not a lawyer : one who does not practice law as a profession
It asserts that a nonlawyer doing his own legal problem-solving has a fool for a client.—Martin S. Harris, Jr.
explaining the ruling to nonlawyers

Examples of nonlawyer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Avoid legal jargon if your followers include nonlawyers. — Peter Boyd, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025 Hewitt said Plunkett had an ability to relate to people from all kinds of backgrounds and worked to make sure that nonlawyers in his court came away with a respect for the system. — Graydon Megan, chicagotribune.com, 4 Apr. 2018 Lawyers already are barred under the State Bar’s rules from allowing a third party to dictate case strategy and are barred in many cases from sharing legal fees with a nonlawyer. — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonlawyer was in 1808

Rhymes for nonlawyer

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Browse Nearby Words

nonlateral
nonlawyer
nonlaying
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Cite this Entry

“Nonlawyer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonlawyer. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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