as in brigand
a man especially in the past who stopped travelers on roads and robbed them
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Recent Examples of highwayman
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
In the irreverent retelling of the 18th-century highwayman’s life, Turpin is the most famous but least likely of robbers, whose success is defined mostly by his charm, showmanship, and great hair.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
Written by Fielding, Richard Naylor and Jon Brittain, the series followed the contemptuous life of the 18th-century highwayman, known in York, England, as a thief, poacher and killer but whose exploits have been widely romanticized in modern culture.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
Dick Turpin was an English robber and highwayman whose criminal activities gained him notoriety in the early eighteenth century.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 14 Jan. 2025
The group gets further assistance from a charming aristocratic dandy/secret highwayman named Charles Devereaux (Frank Dillane).
—Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
He is captured by Bedouin highwaymen, who plan to rob him.
—Steve Hindy, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2015
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
In the irreverent retelling of the 18th-century highwayman’s life, Turpin is the most famous but least likely of robbers, whose success is defined mostly by his charm, showmanship, and great hair.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
Written by Fielding, Richard Naylor and Jon Brittain, the series followed the contemptuous life of the 18th-century highwayman, known in York, England, as a thief, poacher and killer but whose exploits have been widely romanticized in modern culture.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025
Dick Turpin was an English robber and highwayman whose criminal activities gained him notoriety in the early eighteenth century.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 14 Jan. 2025
The group gets further assistance from a charming aristocratic dandy/secret highwayman named Charles Devereaux (Frank Dillane).
—Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
He is captured by Bedouin highwaymen, who plan to rob him.
—Steve Hindy, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for highwayman
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Over $200 Off NFL Sunday Ticket NFL fans can make out like bandits with the DraftKings Sportsbook welcome offer.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
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Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were cast as the bumbling but dogged bandits, Harry and Marv, and Catherine O’Hara brought humor and compassion to the part of Kevin’s mother.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The structure is similar to how pirates and privateers once attacked foreign enemies at sea on behalf of their government.—
Rick Bennett,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
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The boy dressed as a pirate will be standing at a full-length floor mirror getting ready for Halloween.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The prominent conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was struck in the neck by an assassin’s bullet.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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The search for Kirk’s assassin entered its third day Friday, with officials releasing new still photos of the person of interest, along with video of the person fleeing the scene after the shooting.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Our research suggests that the vast majority of Republican voters want to close loopholes that allow criminals and dangerous people to get their hands on guns.—
Gabby Giffords,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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The days of letting dangerous criminals terrorize American citizens are over.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Set in 19th century America, the story follows former jockey Johnny Joestar and mysterious outlaw Gyro Zeppeli in a cross-continental horse race.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
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Red Dead Redemption 2 follows an outlaw named Arthur Morgan, who's part of the Van der Linde gang.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Just this morning, DHS took violent offenders off the streets with arrests for assault, DUI, and felony stalking.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Instead of a sense of outrage leading to a search for a better solution for repeat violent offenders, her death generated calls for collective retribution and vigilante justice.—
Zeynep Tufekci,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Highwayman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highwayman. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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