bandit

noun

ban·​dit ˈban-dət How to pronounce bandit (audio)
plural bandits
1
plural also banditti ban-ˈdi-tē How to pronounce bandit (audio) : an outlaw who lives by plunder
especially : a member of a band of marauders
2
: robber
3
: an enemy plane
banditry noun

Examples of bandit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Over $200 Off NFL Sunday Ticket NFL fans can make out like bandits with the DraftKings Sportsbook welcome offer. Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025 Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were cast as the bumbling but dogged bandits, Harry and Marv, and Catherine O’Hara brought humor and compassion to the part of Kevin’s mother. Tim Greiving, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025 Swashbucklers, scoundrels, bandits and buccaneers will soon be bellying up to the bar inside a lively new pirate pub at Walt Disney World that’s already booked solid for the first two months and promises to be a must-have reservation for visitors. Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 29 Aug. 2025 Are there ways that notorious bandits have successfully robbed banks? Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bandit

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bandit was in 1611

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Cite this Entry

“Bandit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bandit. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

bandit

noun
ban·​dit ˈban-dət How to pronounce bandit (audio)
plural bandits also banditti ban-ˈdit-ē How to pronounce bandit (audio)
: a person who lives by stealing and often as a member of a band : robber, outlaw
banditry noun
Etymology

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

More from Merriam-Webster on bandit

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