# thief in law

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A criminal who is respected, has authority and a high ranking status within the criminal underworld in the old Soviet Union, Russia and the republics that formed the former Soviet Union.

## Etymology
Calque of Russian вор в зако́не (vor v zakóne).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/thief-in-law