marooned; marooning; maroons
1
: to put ashore on a desolate island or coast and leave to one's fate
2
: to place or leave in isolation or without hope of ready escape
plural maroons
1
: a person who is marooned
2
maroon
or Maroon
: a Black person of the Americas who escaped slavery and formed or joined a free and often secluded settlement or a descendant of such a person
Wherever Africans were enslaved in the world, there were runaways who escaped permanently and lived in free independent settlements. These people and their descendants are known as "maroons."—
Richard Grant
Richard GrantFrom the late 17th century to the end of the [U.S.] Civil War, thousands of maroons—runaways who obtained their freedom by occupying remote and uninhabited regions—lived in relative secrecy throughout the 750-square-mile wilderness.—Lex Pryor
Lex Pryor
especially,
usually Maroon
: a maroon of the West Indies or Guiana in the 17th and 18th centuries or a descendant of such a person
In the eighteenth century, a number of Africans … who had been enslaved on plantations in French Guiana and Suriname escaped their forced labor and gathered in groups in the forests between colonial settlements. There these rebels, called Maroons, built their own communities. … Today, Maroons are still living where their ancestors literally cleared paths … —Hilton Als
Hilton Als Decades before, in 1796, the diaspora began setting down roots in Canada when 600 Jamaican Maroons (the descendants of enslaved people who had escaped) were deported from Jamaica to Nova Scotia. —Danica Samuel
Danica Samuel 
Examples of maroon in a Sentence
Verb
sailors marooned on a desert island
Recent Examples on the WebKayla Blanton, Peoplemag, 31 Oct. 2023
Dawn Rose, 48, sat at her kitchen table across from the family’s glossy maroon, 6-foot tall gun safe.
—Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023
Elsewhere, the chic range captured our attention when a particular cape-esque dress came down the runway in seafoam green, maroon, and cream.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 10 Sep. 2023
Herrera donned a wig and some of his mom’s clothing — including a pair of skinny jeans, a maroon sweatshirt and some stylish accessories — before strutting his stuff in the popular clip.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2023
Lively went classic with her accessories, choosing a maroon quilted Chanel shoulder bag with a golden chain strap, brown sunglasses, and small gold hoop earrings.
—Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Sep. 2023
The most widely available variety of this foliage plant has leaves with olive and silver striping on top and purplish maroon underneath.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2023
Jennifer Garner Jennifer Garner sported a maroon skirt suit and classic black heels at Hello Sunshine’s Shine Away event in Los Angeles.
05 of 07
Rachel Zoe
Rachel Zoe brought some drama to the A Sense of Home Gala in Los Angeles in a one-shoulder plum gown with a feather trim.
—Genevieve Cepeda, Peoplemag, 23 Oct. 2023
The rest of this outfit appears almost like armor to shield Mia from any harm or racial microaggressions on set: a chic lengthy maroon leather jacket, a black midi pencil skirt, and black suede pumps.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 17 Oct. 2023
Wyatt Mason, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2023
In the book, which has been previously adapted as films, schoolboys marooned on a Pacific island create their own savage civilization.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Oct. 2023
Sixteen Americans were marooned on an island in the South China Sea.
—Steve Helling, Peoplemag, 27 Sep. 2023
Western countries deployed sanctions that unplugged Russia from international markets, marooning the Russian assets at Euroclear, which reinvested the money and collected interest income on it.
—Alexander Saeedy, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2023
The catastrophic storm surges inundating Florida’s Big Bend region during Hurricane Idalia could sweep some of the area’s 1,000 manatees inland, potentially marooning the animals when the deluge diminishes.
—Jo Craven McGinty, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2023
On Sunday evening, Tropical Storm Hilary battered the region with torrential rain, toppling trees, damaging roads and downing power lines in parts of Los Angeles, and causing major flooding and marooning communities in other areas of Southern California.
—Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023
The Giants make gobs of money, and emerging youngsters like catcher Patrick Bailey, infielder Casey Schmitt and pitcher Kyle Harrison could make Ohtani feel that he wouldn’t be marooned over the long term.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023
But, since war had been declared, in October, 1739, the Centurion and the other men-of-war in the squadron—including the Gloucester, the Pearl, and the Severn—had been marooned in England, waiting to be repaired and fitted out for the next journey.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
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Noun
And its army green shade is a fitting but unexpected fall color (as opposed to the season’s traditional rusts and maroons).
—Kayla Blanton, Peoplemag, 31 Oct. 2023
Dawn Rose, 48, sat at her kitchen table across from the family’s glossy maroon, 6-foot tall gun safe.
—Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023
Elsewhere, the chic range captured our attention when a particular cape-esque dress came down the runway in seafoam green, maroon, and cream.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 10 Sep. 2023
Herrera donned a wig and some of his mom’s clothing — including a pair of skinny jeans, a maroon sweatshirt and some stylish accessories — before strutting his stuff in the popular clip.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2023
Lively went classic with her accessories, choosing a maroon quilted Chanel shoulder bag with a golden chain strap, brown sunglasses, and small gold hoop earrings.
—Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Sep. 2023
The most widely available variety of this foliage plant has leaves with olive and silver striping on top and purplish maroon underneath.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2023
Jennifer Garner Jennifer Garner sported a maroon skirt suit and classic black heels at Hello Sunshine’s Shine Away event in Los Angeles.
05 of 07
Rachel Zoe
Rachel Zoe brought some drama to the A Sense of Home Gala in Los Angeles in a one-shoulder plum gown with a feather trim.
—Genevieve Cepeda, Peoplemag, 23 Oct. 2023
The rest of this outfit appears almost like armor to shield Mia from any harm or racial microaggressions on set: a chic lengthy maroon leather jacket, a black midi pencil skirt, and black suede pumps.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 17 Oct. 2023
Verb
The narrator is asked to care for a macaw by friends of a friend who are marooned in California, moving into their apartment only to learn that the former bird-sitter, a troubled young man, has moved in, too.
—Wyatt Mason, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2023
In the book, which has been previously adapted as films, schoolboys marooned on a Pacific island create their own savage civilization.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Oct. 2023
Sixteen Americans were marooned on an island in the South China Sea.
—Steve Helling, Peoplemag, 27 Sep. 2023
Western countries deployed sanctions that unplugged Russia from international markets, marooning the Russian assets at Euroclear, which reinvested the money and collected interest income on it.
—Alexander Saeedy, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2023
The catastrophic storm surges inundating Florida’s Big Bend region during Hurricane Idalia could sweep some of the area’s 1,000 manatees inland, potentially marooning the animals when the deluge diminishes.
—Jo Craven McGinty, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2023
On Sunday evening, Tropical Storm Hilary battered the region with torrential rain, toppling trees, damaging roads and downing power lines in parts of Los Angeles, and causing major flooding and marooning communities in other areas of Southern California.
—Christian Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023
The Giants make gobs of money, and emerging youngsters like catcher Patrick Bailey, infielder Casey Schmitt and pitcher Kyle Harrison could make Ohtani feel that he wouldn’t be marooned over the long term.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023
But, since war had been declared, in October, 1739, the Centurion and the other men-of-war in the squadron—including the Gloucester, the Pearl, and the Severn—had been marooned in England, waiting to be repaired and fitted out for the next journey.
—David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maroon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
French marron Spanish chestnut
Noun (2)
probably from French maron, marron feral, fugitive, modification of American Spanish cimarrón wild, savage
Articles Related to maroon
Dictionary Entries Near maroon
Cite this Entry
“Maroon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maroon. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
maroon
1 of 2 verb
ma·roon
mə-ˈrün 
1
: to put ashore and abandon on a lonely island or coast
2
: to leave isolated and helpless
maroon
2 of 2 noun
: a dark red
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