as in bandit
formal + old-fashioned
a person who commits robbery usually as part of a group
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of brigand
The French-language film begins in Spain circa 1845, when Antonio, the blind knife-sharpener, returns to Seville to the great delight of local brigands and soldiers, whose blades have grown dull in his absence.
—
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 21 May 2026
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
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
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 21 May 2026
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
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
-
Re-blockade will now happen at bandit camps and ruins.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
And what gives her purpose is meeting Ruthye, who’s also endured tragedy, and wants to avenge her family’s death at the hands of the bandit Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
20 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
-
The business will start with six rooms featuring themes like a haunted house, murder mansion, pirate’s cruise and jungle explorer.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
-
After the Revolutionary War, the United States maintained no standing fleet, but attacks by the Barbary pirates—corsairs based in North Africa who preyed on American merchant ships and took sailors ransom—drove Congress to reestablish a navy in the 1790s.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
An allegation last year by a provincial police commander that top officers and officials were colluding with organized criminals led Ramaphosa to announce a national investigation into police corruption.—
Michelle Gumede,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
-
Roman emperors, sometimes urged on by the crowd, were known to grant pardons (to criminals) and freedom (to the enslaved) after an especially noteworthy performance.—
Cullen Murphy,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Swedish investigators said the shooter was no professional assassin – but another teenage boy who had been recruited to kill.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
-
The queen would go on to become the longest-serving British monarch of all time—surpassing 70 years on the throne before her death in 2022—while Jackie’s time as first lady was cut short by an assassin’s bullet on November 22, 1963, not yet three years into her tenure.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Sarnoski’s version likewise recasts the female character as a benevolent force, and is largely stripped of romance — though permits itself a streak of sentimentality in a subplot concerning the grizzled outlaw’s gentle bond with a young girl.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
11 June 2026
-
Also visit Devil’s Gulch within the park to learn about the legend of outlaw Jesse James, who allegedly jumped an 18-foot gap on horseback after a botched bank robbery in 1876.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Dark Wood Furniture Dark furniture is one of the worst offenders in narrow spaces.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
7 June 2026
-
It's designed for first-time offenders.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
San Diego police arrested Rhone twice in 2023 on suspicion of being a felon in possession of weapons and ammunition, according to federal court documents.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
The seven-time felon accused of gunning down a Chicago police officer returned to court Wednesday to enter a plea in the fatal shooting.—
Julia Bonavita , Philip Bodinet,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brigand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brigand. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
