marooned
Americanadjective
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abandoned on a desolate island or coast by way of punishment or the like, as was done by buccaneers.
In exchange for food supplies left for them on the island, the marooned mutineers handed over the ship's instruments and charts.
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placed or left in an isolated and often dangerous position.
Getting flood relief to the marooned villages has proved difficult.
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abandoned or stuck somewhere without resources.
When flights were grounded after 9/11, Canadians offered their hospitality and their homes to put up marooned Americans.
verb
Etymology
Origin of marooned
Explanation
Someone who's marooned is stranded. When a sailor's boat is washed up on the shore of a deserted island after a big storm, both the sailor and the boat are marooned. If a teenager is abandoned at the mall by her friends, you could describe her as marooned. A marooned cruise ship that's stuck on a rocky beach is probably full of marooned passengers.
Vocabulary lists containing marooned
Minecraft: The Island
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The Worst Class Trip Ever
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Two Roads
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Marooned in an unfamiliar city, with no social ties, Folan taught yoga at a local YMCA.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Hotel Albatross in Ballard: This place that called itself “A Safe Harbor for Marooned Souls” opened in 2015 courtesy of the owners of neighboring Ocho and Hazelwood, featuring live music alongside “Exotic Libations & Delectables.”
From Seattle Times • Feb. 25, 2023
Marooned for weeks, they're finally getting much needed medical help - but many say they're still waiting to get food and access to clean water to drink and wash with.
From BBC • Oct. 3, 2022
Marooned in Cox’s Bazar along Bangladesh’s southeastern border, the refugees are seeking guarantees of safety, freedom of movement and a pathway to citizenship before they will return to Myanmar, also known as Burma.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2019
My faithful "Co." has been reading Marooned, by Mr. Clark Russell, an author who delights in stories of nautical adventure.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 98, March 1, 1890 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
