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
-
An anonymous tipster called police to say the bandits were trying to sell their loot less than a mile away, and gave the cops Hussein’s Instagram handle, according to court filings.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Industrialists like Rockefeller and Carnegie weren’t worried about horseback bandits; their focus was on land rights, freight monopolies and who controlled the rails.—
Jodi Daniels,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 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
-
Learn all about the many groups, from Native Americans to Spanish pirates to English settlers to wealthy cotton planters to enslaved people, who have lived on the island and influenced its development at the Edisto Island Museum.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
6 Aug. 2025
-
John Cleese shows up as a pirate and tries to make a call from a payphone on the ship, while his parrot, who is in love with him, gripes that Cleese is neglecting her and should take her to dinner with all his doubloons.—
Sophie Brickman,
The Atlantic,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Saturday Night Live alum, 31, and Beverly Hills Cop actor, 64, star in the action-comedy The Pickup as Travis and Russell, two security guards whose vehicle is hijacked by Zoe (Keke Palmer), a criminal on a mission to avenge her dad by robbing a casino.—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Neighborhoods where residents get out and meet each other and know their law enforcement are safer and discourage criminals — that’s the thinking behind the National Night Out campaign.—
Heather McRea,
Oc Register,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The deal paves the way for new installments for Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne, a CIA assassin suffering from amnesia.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Bloodsport, being an assassin who has a change of heart and becomes a hero, while also having a deep rat phobia, was fantastic.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Beyoncé, an ambassador for Levi’s, dressed in outlaw drag, arrives at a semi-deserted laundromat.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Want to drink in the same bar as outlaw icons Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson?—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
26 July 2025
Noun
-
He was taken into custody on Tuesday, and now faces charges of murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, court records show.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Most of the federal charges allege machine gun possession or firearm possession by a felon, the news release stated.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
And sometimes the best care is not bringing in a bunch of — as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put it — a throbbing scum of fame-hungry desperados.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
31 July 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Brigand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brigand. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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