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
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
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
Across the pastures, gangs of grandchildren ran like brigands.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2019
As Robin Hood, Daniel Reese creates a flesh-and-blood version of the storybook character, imbuing the Middle Ages brigand with a conscience for the poor and some humorous frailties.
—Pam Kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, 31 July 2017
Traveling by road even a few dozen miles outside the city can be a dicey proposition because of insurgents and brigands.
—David Jolly, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2016
Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2014
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
Across the pastures, gangs of grandchildren ran like brigands.
—Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2019
As Robin Hood, Daniel Reese creates a flesh-and-blood version of the storybook character, imbuing the Middle Ages brigand with a conscience for the poor and some humorous frailties.
—Pam Kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, 31 July 2017
Traveling by road even a few dozen miles outside the city can be a dicey proposition because of insurgents and brigands.
—David Jolly, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brigand
Noun
-
There were corridos about the exploits of bandits and outlaws, some of them Robin Hood-esque characters who outwitted oafish authorities and helped the poor.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2025
-
The Golden State Warriors came out like bandits to open the third quarter of Game 2 on Thursday, pulling to within seven of the Timberwolves early in the frame at Target Center.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
He is captured by Bedouin highwaymen, who plan to rob him.—
Steve Hindy,
Foreign Affairs,
27 Aug. 2015
-
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
Noun
-
Lion has defected from the Wakandan guard in order to run a band of pirates, and has stolen technology from Wakanda in order to found his own kingdom.—
Kambole Campbell,
Variety,
9 June 2025
-
And for Trump’s onetime pirate ship of a political movement, Butterworth’s represents an ostentatious new evolutionary phase: the deplorable as arriviste.—
Robert Draper,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
Their records contain sensitive personal information, that, if leaked, could allow criminals to steal the identities of unsuspecting customers.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
-
Cruz, the son of an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who came to the U.S. in the 1970s, said he’s angered by the federal government’s portrayal that anyone without documents living in the United States is a criminal.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
New threats emerge, including a ruthless new villain (Bill Skarsgård) and a blind assassin from Wick’s past, played by Donnie Yen in a standout performance.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
6 June 2025
-
The operation, made up of Belarusian contract killers, runs a ballet academy that is a front for their assassin training facility.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
6 June 2025
Noun
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In the Western from writer-director Joel Souza, the young actor plays Lucas Hollister, a grieving teen in 1880s Wyoming whose accidental murder of a neighbor kicks off an unlikely alliance with Baldwin’s notorious outlaw Harland Rust — who turns out to be Lucas’ grandfather.—
Jack Smart,
People.com,
2 May 2025
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And her new single is a duet with another, even more hirsute outlaw traditionalist, Jamey Johnson.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
Ramos-Jimenez was then arrested and taken to a local jail for possessing a weapon as a felon, Fox 10 Phoenix reported.—
Lesley Cosme Torres,
People.com,
12 June 2025
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By now, people can recognize that some groups see an advantage in shrinking the electorate — by making vote-by-mail more difficult, instituting unreasonable ID requirements, and blocking felons who completed their sentence from voting.—
Howard L. Simon,
Sun Sentinel,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
The latter implies that occasionally a few or many desperados enter the Treasury markets, selling everything in sight with an eye on bringing discipline or whatever to Washington.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
-
The other actors in the terrific eight-member cast — which includes Eddie Cooper, Dashiell Eaves and Ken Marks — play multiple roles as townsfolk, family members, lawmen, desperados, hucksters and suckers.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brigand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brigand. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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