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Scofflaw Was Created for a Contest
In 1924, a wealthy Massachusetts Prohibitionist named Delcevare King sponsored a contest in which he asked participants to coin an appropriate word to mean "a lawless drinker." King sought a word that would cast violators of Prohibition laws in a light of shame. Two respondents came up independently with the winning word: scofflaw, formed by combining the verb scoff and the noun law. Henry Dale and Kate Butler, also of Massachusetts, split King’s $200 prize. Improbably, despite some early scoffing from language critics, scofflaw managed to pick up steam in English and expand to a meaning that went beyond its Prohibition roots, referring to one who violates any law, not just laws related to drinking.
Examples of scofflaw in a Sentence
Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2024
There’s a faculty move to get all charges dropped
Michael Hiltzik: With Live Nation lawsuit, government signals it’s fed up with alleged corporate scofflaws
A fifth grader’s fundraiser cleared his school of meal debt.
—Hartford Courant, 30 May 2024
And watch out for scofflaws who speed, run red lights or tailgate.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 25 May 2024
Michael Hiltzik: With Live Nation lawsuit, government says it’s fed up with alleged corporate scofflaws.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for scofflaw 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scofflaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scofflaw
Cite this Entry
“Scofflaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scofflaw. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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