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
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
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The tree is said to have sheltered Robin Hood, the legendary 13th-century bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor and took refuge in the forest when being pursued by the sheriff of Nottingham.
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The tree is said to have sheltered Robin Hood, the legendary 13th-century bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor and took refuge in the forest when being pursued by the sheriff of Nottingham.
Noun
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Shortly before midnight on May 23, 1798, highwaymen just north of Dublin intercepted and set on fire a mail coach headed to Belfast.
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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).
Noun
-
There's even some sympathy for the vengeful pirate character.
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Tyland may have gotten Triarchy pirate Admiral Sharako Lohar on Team Green’s side, but at his core this man is a coward.
Noun
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What begins as a chance to escape the routine of his everyday life quickly spirals into a dangerous gathering of powerful criminals, old enemies, and unresolved loyalties.
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That creates the perfect opening for criminals.
Noun
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As a pirate assassin and post-apocalyptic warrior, Krem of the Yellow Hills connects with Aries.
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The report’s key finding was that an odd, angry, 24-year-old assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, had acted alone, for reasons nobody could quite figure out.
Noun
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Sonically, Hazel Eyes is said to blend baroque pop, British folk, outlaw country and left-field R&B while foregrounding Smith’s signature vocal performances and intimate songwriting.
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Stokes is set for the role of Ronnie Whitlock, who leads with an outlaw smile and a devil-may-care attitude, a fire burning within him.
Noun
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The offender is described as an African-American man between 40-45 years of age, weighing 180-200 pounds, and was last seen wearing a gray/black baseball cap, a light blue shirt, gray pants, and black gym shoes.
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To better understand what drives a young person to commit these crimes, CNN spent months searching for prior offenders willing to speak about their experience.
Noun
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Earlier this month, Doyle’s father, Melvin Doyle, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon.
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One charge, possession of a weapon by a felon, followed a conviction in Mecklenburg in August 2020 on a 2018 charge of conspiracy to commit robbery, according to records.
Cite this Entry
“Brigand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brigand. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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