as in bandit
old-fashioned
a violent criminal who is not afraid of getting hurt or caught
A documentary about some notorious desperados of the Wild West.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of desperado
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
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
Still, the robbery sent an Oklahoma sheriff’s posse and bloodhounds after these bungling desperados.
—Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desperado
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
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
Still, the robbery sent an Oklahoma sheriff’s posse and bloodhounds after these bungling desperados.
—Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desperado
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desperado
Noun
-
Sardinian bandits sometimes fought back with their own sense of justice, settling matters through raids, kidnappings, and violence.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
-
Residents of the Altamonte Springs neighborhood of Spring Oaks reported finding human feces on vehicles, mailboxes and in yards before surveillance video pointed the finger at her as the crapping bandit.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Fisk, the villain, ultimately loses this battle.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Who’s the villain on your show?—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
My office will continue to work alongside law enforcement partners like the Antioch Police Department to hold armed offenders accountable and pursue justice on behalf of all those harmed.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
-
Lawrence Reed is a lifetime offender who was put on an ankle monitor.—
Michael Tobin,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Who’s the best monster in (contemporary) literature?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 May 2026
-
This midrange offering includes high-quality audio, advanced noise-cancelling tools, monster battery life, and is comfortable to wear for hours and hours.—
Mark Knapp,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The sturgeon is an armored beast of a fish that has abided on this planet for at least 120 million years.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Countless cultures have imprinted their own cultural beliefs in the constellations, seeing mighty heroes, fantastic beasts and eclectic objects in the stars.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Against this backdrop, an outlaw named Clutch has no choice but to get behind the wheel one more time.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
At a time when the ever-widening wealth gap in Los Angeles feels like a gaping hole, the pub’s name, an homage to the English folklore hero-outlaw, feels especially fitting.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desperado.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desperado. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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