disbar: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowFormal, Legal, Professional
Quick answer
What does “disbar” mean?
To officially expel a lawyer from the legal profession, preventing them from practicing law, typically for serious misconduct.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To officially expel a lawyer from the legal profession, preventing them from practicing law, typically for serious misconduct.
By extension, it can be used metaphorically to mean to expel or officially exclude someone from any professional group, guild, or association, especially due to unethical behaviour or failure to meet standards.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The concept and process are nearly identical in both jurisdictions. The major bodies responsible are different (e.g., Bar Standards Board in England & Wales vs. state bar associations in the US).
Connotations
Carries the same severe professional and reputational consequence in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in American English due to the common public discussion of state bar proceedings. In the UK, the term 'struck off' (from the roll of solicitors) is a more common public-facing synonym for solicitors, while 'disbar' is used for barristers.
Grammar
How to Use “disbar” in a Sentence
[Court/Bar Association] disbarred [Lawyer] for [Reason/Gerund][Lawyer] was disbarred for [Reason/Noun Phrase]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “disbar” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The Bar Tribunal will seek to disbar the barrister for repeated breaches of conduct.
- He was disbarred after being found guilty of misappropriating client funds.
American English
- The state bar association voted to disbar the attorney for fraud.
- If you lie under oath, you risk being disbarred.
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverbial form derived from 'disbar']
American English
- [No standard adverbial form derived from 'disbar']
adjective
British English
- [No standard adjectival form. 'Disbarred' is the past participle used adjectivally: e.g., 'a disbarred solicitor']
American English
- [No standard adjectival form. 'Disbarred' is the past participle used adjectivally: e.g., 'disbarred lawyers cannot practice']
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in discussions of corporate legal liability or executive misconduct leading to professional disqualification.
Academic
Used in law schools and papers discussing legal ethics, professional discipline, and jurisprudence.
Everyday
Very rare. Typically only encountered in news reports about corrupt or negligent lawyers.
Technical
Core term in legal professional conduct and disciplinary proceedings.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “disbar”
- Confusing 'disbar' with 'debar' (to exclude someone from a place or from doing something). 'Debar' is broader.
- Using it for professions other than law (e.g., 'The doctor was disbarred' is incorrect; use 'struck off' or 'lost his licence').
- Misspelling as 'disbar' from confusion with 'diss' or 'disband'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Disbar' is the verb (the action). 'Disbarment' is the noun (the state or result of being disbarred). Example: 'The court may disbar him. His disbarment would end his career.'
It is possible but extremely difficult. They must usually apply for reinstatement after a lengthy period (often years), demonstrate rehabilitation, and go through a rigorous review process. Reinstatement is not guaranteed.
Primarily yes, but usage varies. In the UK, 'disbar' formally refers to barristers, while 'strike off' refers to solicitors. In the US, 'disbar' is used for all licensed attorneys, regardless of whether they litigate.
The direct procedural opposite is 'admit to the bar' or 'call to the bar' (the ceremony granting a lawyer the right to practice). The conceptual opposite in terms of status is 'be a licensed/qualified/practicing attorney'.
To officially expel a lawyer from the legal profession, preventing them from practicing law, typically for serious misconduct.
Disbar is usually formal, legal, professional in register.
Disbar: in British English it is pronounced /dɪsˈbɑː/, and in American English it is pronounced /dɪsˈbɑːr/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[no common idioms for 'disbar' itself]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: DISqualify from the BAR. The BAR is where lawyers are called to practice; to DISBAR is to remove them from it.
Conceptual Metaphor
PROFESSION IS A CONTAINED SPACE / MEMBERSHIP IS A POSITION. To disbar is to be forcibly ejected from that professional space or removed from that position of standing.
Practice
Quiz
In which of the following scenarios is the word 'disbar' used CORRECTLY?