badman

[ bad-man ]

/ ˈbædˌmæn /

noun, plural bad·men.

a bandit, outlaw, desperado, etc., especially in the early history of the western U.S.

Nearby words

badinerie, badlands, badlands national park, badly, badly off, badman, badmash, badminton, badness, badoglio, badoglio, pietro

Origin of badman

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; bad¹ + man¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for badman

But why did not young Badman run away from this Master, as he ran away from the other?
The Life and Death of Mr Badman|John Bunyan
But pray let us return again to Mr. Badman and his companions.
The Life and Death of Mr Badman|John Bunyan
Mr. Badman has broken his legg, sayes one: How did he break it?
The Life and Death of Mr Badman|John Bunyan
The 'Life of Mr. Badman' is a didactic tale, describing the career of a vulgar, middle-class, unprincipled scoundrel.
Bunyan|James Anthony Froude

There was Godliness in the house of the first, and that young Badman could not endure.
The Life and Death of Mr Badman|John Bunyan

British Dictionary definitions for badman

badman

/ (ˈbædˌmæn) /

noun plural -men

mainly US a hired gunman, outlaw, or criminal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012