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highwayman

noun

Definition of highwaymannext
as in brigand
a man especially in the past who stopped travelers on roads and robbed them

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 Dee is in his Springheel Jack costume, since London bobbies of that era would rather work with a mythical highwayman than a real Chinese man. — Yvonne Zipp, Christian Science Monitor, 1 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for highwayman
  1. brigand
  2. bandit
  3. pirate
  4. assassin
  5. criminal
  6. outlaw
  7. desperado
  8. offender
Noun
  • Their captors beset by these foreign brigands, Larys and Aegon manage to escape.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • That’s the state Supergirl is in when she is dragged into a local dispute on some far-off planet, defending the honor of an orphaned teenage girl, Ruthye (Eve Ridley); her parents were murdered by a brigand named Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026
Definition of brigand
Noun
  • When a wealthy, royal woman is attacked by bandits, the two men save her and are welcomed to the castle as valiant knights.
    — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Elsewhere, a gang of highway bandits cons an unsuspecting family into stopping by the roadside, only to violently kill them, burn their bodies, and strip their car for parts.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • The series follows the exploits of Luffy and his pirate crew in their search for the eponymous One Piece.
    — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Their journey brings them into conflict with pirates seeking control of the sacred water on which their community depends.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of pirate
Noun
  • Its tale of a Zainichi assassin (an ethnic Korean in Japan), as well as fraying political tensions between the North and South, take its characters far and wide, in a follow-the-money treasure hunt dangerously close to the halls of power.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Some earlier assassins expected it of themselves, canceling plots that would have killed bystanders.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of assassin
Noun
  • Removing violent criminals, gang members, cartel members and those who refuse to work is wise and popular policy.
    — Don Bacon, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Americans have demonized us as criminals, buffoons, lechers, invaders, criminals and job stealers since the fall of the Alamo.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Simpson has carved out an incredibly loyal following in the country music industry by singing largely outlaw country tunes.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The Chargers played a six-man schedule from 2021 to 2024 and, in 2025, played an outlaw 11-man schedule.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of outlaw
Noun
  • The Cougars are one-score favorites, but anything goes in the desperado Big 12.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Crowds of the curious milled through the gloomy building, seeking to view the body of the most notorious desperado of the year.
    — Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of desperado
Noun
  • The law would extend the time that repeat DUI offenders would have their driver’s license suspended from three years to six years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • More often than not, this audit finds the larger offenders causing the retention problem.
    — Kellie Lauth, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of offender

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Cite this Entry

“Highwayman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/highwayman. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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