as in bandit
formal + old-fashioned
a person who commits robbery usually as part of a group
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Recent Examples of brigand
Their stories live on in Sardinian lore with an almost mythical quality, the brigands admired for their intractability.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
As did most of the 4,500 caught in the region as feds traveled willy-nilly originally from their base at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, like roving bands of masked brigands seeking human loot.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Then rumors started spreading about armed brigands that would come to town to steal what little harvest folks had left, so towns raised militias to fight back.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2025
Captured by brigands, the immigrants are herded into a remote Libyan prison camp where they are tormented and tortured.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2024
Saúl is a brigand while Isabella is a noblewoman, and the tale tells of the couple’s struggle as their families oppose their union.
—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 10 Aug. 2022
Scavenger is a brigand Gawain encounters on his journey.
—BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2021
The ruler tops out at seven feet six inches, suggesting an absolutely colossal brigand.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2021
Looking eastward, the notion that Iran, which took hundreds of thousands of casualties in repelling an Iraqi juggernaut in the 1980s, is going to melt in terror in the face of several thousand ISIS brigands is absurd.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2014
IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
As did most of the 4,500 caught in the region as feds traveled willy-nilly originally from their base at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, like roving bands of masked brigands seeking human loot.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Then rumors started spreading about armed brigands that would come to town to steal what little harvest folks had left, so towns raised militias to fight back.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2025
Captured by brigands, the immigrants are herded into a remote Libyan prison camp where they are tormented and tortured.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2024
Saúl is a brigand while Isabella is a noblewoman, and the tale tells of the couple’s struggle as their families oppose their union.
—Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 10 Aug. 2022
Scavenger is a brigand Gawain encounters on his journey.
—BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2021
The ruler tops out at seven feet six inches, suggesting an absolutely colossal brigand.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2021
Looking eastward, the notion that Iran, which took hundreds of thousands of casualties in repelling an Iraqi juggernaut in the 1980s, is going to melt in terror in the face of several thousand ISIS brigands is absurd.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2014
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brigand
Noun
-
Deportees from the United States are especially vulnerable to robbery and kidnapping because gangs and bandits assume that their families can pay larger ransoms.—
Caitlin Dickerson,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
-
Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Shortly before midnight on May 23, 1798, highwaymen just north of Dublin intercepted and set on fire a mail coach headed to Belfast.—
Joseph Patrick Kelly,
The Conversation,
20 May 2025
-
The sybaritic highwayman Macheath maneuvers between a cutthroat capitalist milieu (Mr. and Mrs. Peachum) and a corrupt police force (led by Tiger Brown) while seducing daughters from both worlds (Polly Peachum and Lucy Brown).—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Over the past quarter-century, the UKMTO has dealt with other shipping crises too, as when Somali pirates were most active during the late 2000s or Houthi rebels in Yemen intensified their attacks on vessels passing through the Red Sea in 2023.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
-
Because it’s located on the beach, kids have access to the sand and sun, and there’s a pirate-ship style play area outside.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The lead about the contraband came via Eric Harper (Joe Delfin), the criminal who shivved Lena's old friend Yancey (Kieron River) a few episodes back.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
-
Ben-Gvir, in addition to being an authoritarian racist, is a bona fide criminal.—
Avi Issacharoff,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
To play Baby Karmakar, the deaf-mute assassin at the center of it, Qureshi learned sign language.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
22 May 2026
-
Uma Thurman is Beatrix Kiddo, an assassin known as Black Mamba who tries to escape her life of crime.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Later in the year, Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree honors the famed outlaw in late October to early November.—
Caroline Eubanks,
Travel + Leisure,
22 May 2026
-
In 2018, Chit became the first person granted a license to open a legal Thai craft brewery, while keeping the original Chit Beer on Koh Kret for those who want the riverside, outlaw-spirit experience.—
Jim Dobson,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Locations are chosen based on impaired-driving crashes, and first-time DUI offenders face average fines and penalties of $13,500.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
-
The governor had publicly questioned whether Peters’ nine-year sentence was too hard for a first-time, nonviolent offender.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Bigelow was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
20 May 2026
-
Lawsuits against states' firearm rules The federal government generally only sets the floor for firearm use and transactions, regulating issues such as background checks, barring most felons from having guns, and establishing rules for dealer licenses.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brigand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brigand. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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