attorney

Compared meaning: a professional who handles legal matters (noun).

比较义项：律师，为他人处理法律事务的专业人士（名词）。

• attorney 本词

  More formal and official, especially in American English; used in legal documents and titles such as 'power of attorney' or 'attorney general', not just to describe someone's job in casual talk.

  更正式、更书面化，尤其在美式英语中；常出现在法律文件和头衔里，如“power of attorney”（授权委托书）、“attorney general”（检察长），而不只是随口描述某人的职业。

  You will need to sign a power of attorney before the surgery.

  手术前，你需要签署一份授权委托书。

• lawyer

  The plain, everyday word for someone who practices law; used far more often than 'attorney' in ordinary conversation, in both American and British English.

  更普通、更口语化的说法，指从事法律工作的人；在日常对话中比“attorney”常用得多，美式和英式英语中都是如此。

  I called a lawyer to ask about my parking ticket.

  我打电话向一位律师咨询我的违章停车罚单问题。

Attorney and lawyer are close in meaning and often confused, but attorney is more formal, used in American legal documents like 'power of attorney'. Lawyer is the plain, everyday word for someone who practices law, used far more often in both American and British English.

这两个词在“律师”这个意义上非常接近，容易混用；attorney更正式，常用于法律文件和头衔（如授权委托书、检察长），lawyer则是日常最常用的说法，几乎可以指任何执业律师。