noun
derogatory North American A lawyer who specializes in bringing cases seeking damages for personal injury.
- ‘Can he be characterized as a greedy ambulance-chaser who is single-handedly responsible for runaway lawsuits?’
- ‘Just to show we are not the cold-hearted, ambulance-chasers of popular myth we have brought you some good news this week.’
- ‘So I have been somewhat irked to find myself being bedeviled with calls from so-called endowment ambulance-chasers.’
- ‘Plus it would also put those disgusting ambulance-chasers in their place.’
- ‘Some of them are just a bunch of ambulance-chasers and a total waste of space.’
Origin
Late 19th century from the reputation gained by certain lawyers for attending accidents and encouraging victims to sue.