lynch law

/lintʃ/
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Thân thiện
Definition

Noun: - A system of punishment, especially execution by hanging, carried out by a mob without legal authority or due process: "Lynch law" refers to the practice where a group of people, acting outside the legal system, captures and punishes someone, typically by hanging, for an alleged crime without a trial or formal legal procedures. It is associated with mob justice and vigilantism.

Usage
  • "Lynch law" is used as a non-count noun to describe the concept or practice itself, not a specific instance. It often carries a strong negative connotation, highlighting lawlessness, prejudice, and the denial of legal rights.
  • It is historically associated with racial violence, particularly in the United States.
Examples
  • Noun:
    • The town descended into lynch law after the controversial accusation.
    • Historians have documented the era of lynch law in the post-Civil War South.
    • The sheriff tried to prevent the mob from imposing lynch law on the prisoner.
Advanced Usage
  • "to be a victim of lynch law": to be punished or executed by a mob without a legal trial.
    • Many innocent people were victims of lynch law during that period of social unrest.
  • "the rule of lynch law": a situation where mob justice prevails over formal legal institutions.
    • In the frontier territory, the rule of lynch law sometimes replaced absent courts.
Variants and Related Words
  • Lynch (verb): To execute (someone), especially by hanging, by mob action without legal authority.
    • The mob threatened to lynch the suspect.
  • Lynching (noun): An instance of being put to death by mob action without legal sanction.
    • The lynching was condemned by community leaders.
Synonyms
  • Mob justice / Mob rule: Punishment or control exercised by a violent crowd, disregarding legal processes.
  • Vigilantism: The act of enforcing laws or punishing crimes by unauthorized persons or groups.
  • Kangaroo court: A mock court that ignores legal standards, often used to justify punishment decided in advance.
Related Phrases
  • To take the law into one's own hands: To act as judge, jury, and executioner without legal authority, a concept closely related to lynch law.
    • The vigilantes decided to take the law into their own hands.
Noun
  1. the practice of punishing people by hanging without due process of law