1. the practice of ordinary citizens taking law enforcement into their own hands without legal authority

Examples

• The rise of vigilantism in the neighborhood concerned local police.
• Vigilantism often emerges when people lose faith in official justice systems.
• The movie depicted the dangers of vigilantism in urban settings.
• Community leaders warned against vigilantism after the crime wave.
• Historical examples of vigilantism include frontier justice in the Old West.
• The court ruled that vigilantism cannot replace proper legal procedures.