as in bandits
formal + old-fashioned
a person who commits robbery usually as part of a group
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Recent Examples of brigands
Their stories live on in Sardinian lore with an almost mythical quality, the brigands admired for their intractability.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 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
IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brigands
Noun
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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
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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
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The bigger issue is that many systems still rely on information criminals may already have, such as birthdays, addresses and partial Social Security numbers.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
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Morrison has covered stories worldwide, interviewing everyone from presidents and prime ministers, student protesters under fire in Tiananmen Square, to criminals, teachers, artists, actors and authors.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Noun
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The spot is known for its utter romance and distinct architecture, with buildings featuring balconies hovering over the water—it's said these were used by resident merchants to load their goods directly onto boats and (hopefully) avoid pirates.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
27 May 2026
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International actors have policed the pirates ever since the world first became aware of the Somali pirate crisis, when there were as many as 200 incidents of piracy between 2009 and 2011.—
Luke McGee,
Time,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Most are not desperados on the run.—
William Morris,
Des Moines Register,
4 Mar. 2026
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These are desperadoes in the White House.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Later, the team pieces together that the assassins were professionals who had been hired by someone with deep pockets.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 May 2026
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The film follows a unit of young assassins who belong to the titular organization, trained in a tropical rainforest by a figure known only as Master.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Noun
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California Highway Patrol officers are assigned to the Express Lanes and those toll roads and can certainly see expired tags and choose to pull over offenders.—
Jim Radcliffe,
Oc Register,
29 May 2026
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According to Doggett, the worst offenders are bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla).—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
Noun
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The series has lent a cinematic gangster attraction to the Peaky Blinders, yet the term itself was not one gang — as depicted in the show — but a generic expression from the late 19th century for the ‘street ruffians’ of Birmingham, born out of the city’s ring of poverty.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2026
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In fact, the GTW ruffians have to give the Big Honey some props for his relative restraint in the heat of the moment.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Charles Cioffi, the veteran character actor who portrayed lots of cops and crooks in projects including Klute, Shaft, Get Christie Love!—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 2026
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Per the logline, in Season 2 the Dars are drowning in dirty cash and Philly’s sketchiest crooks are circling.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brigands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brigands. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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