vigilantenoun [ C ]
uk/ˌvɪdʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti/us/ˌvɪdʒ.əˈlæn.t̬i/a person who tries in an unofficial way to prevent crime, or to catch and punish someone who has committed a crime, especially because they do not think that official organizations, such as the police, are controlling crime effectively. Vigilantes usually join together to form groups.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Punishing & punishments
- bar
- be brought/called to account idiom
- boot
- bring
- bum rap
- carrot
- chastise
- clobber
- crucify
- heads will roll! idiom
- kick
- kick (some) ass idiom
- non-custodial
- parking ticket
- penal
- string
- strip
- throw
- throw the book at sb idiom
- wheel clamp
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vigilantism
noun [ U ] uk/ˌvɪdʒ.ɪˈlæn.tɪ.zəm/us/ˌvɪdʒ.ɪˈlæn.t̬ɪ.zəm/