bandit

noun

ban·​dit ˈban-dət 

plural bandits

1

plural also banditti ban-ˈdi-tē  : an outlaw who lives by plunder

especially : a member of a band of marauders

2

: robber

3

: an enemy plane

banditry

ˈban-də-trē 

noun

Examples of bandit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An anonymous tipster called police to say the bandits were trying to sell their loot less than a mile away, and gave the cops Hussein’s Instagram handle, according to court filings. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025

Industrialists like Rockefeller and Carnegie weren’t worried about horseback bandits; their focus was on land rights, freight monopolies and who controlled the rails. —Jodi Daniels, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Constructed as a defense against Ottomans, pirates and other bandits, masserie typically have thick white stone walls, narrow entryways and small windows. —Aileen Weintraub, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 July 2025

But Palm Beach County’s friendly neighborhood sugar cane barons might yet make out like bandits. —Pat Beall, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian bandito (earlier in English also bandetto, probably by association with the Italian diminutive suffix -etto), noun derivative of bandito "put under a ban, outlawed, exiled," from past participle of bandire "(of a government or other authority) to announce, proclaim, proscribe, outlaw," probably borrowed (directly or via Old Occitan bandir) from Gothic bandwjan "to give a sign, show, reveal," derivative of bandwo "sign, signal" — more at band entry 3

Note: See also note at banderole.

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bandit

• make out like a bandit
• one-arm bandit
• one-armed bandit

Kids Definition

bandit

noun

ban·​dit ˈban-dət 

plural bandits also banditti ban-ˈdit-ē 

: a person who lives by stealing and often as a member of a band : robber, outlaw

banditry

ˈban-də-trē 

noun

Etymology

from Italian bandito, literally, "one who is banished"