bandit
[ban-dit]
- a robber, especially a member of a gang or marauding band.
- an outlaw or highwayman.
- Informal.
- a person who takes unfair advantage of others, as a merchant who overcharges; swindler; cheat.
- a vendor, cab driver, etc., who operates a business or works without a required license or permit, and without observing the usual rules or practices.
- Military Informal. an enemy aircraft, especially an attacking fighter.
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- make out like a bandit, Slang. to be extremely successful; profit greatly: The early investors in the company have made out like bandits.
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Origin of bandit
1585–95; earlier bandetto, plural banditti < Italian banditi outlaws, plural of bandito proscribed, past participle of bandire banish, exile, announce publicly < Gothic bandwjan to make a sign, indicate (cf. band1) with v. suffix -ire < Latin -īre
Synonyms
See more synonyms for bandit on Thesaurus.com1, 2. brigand, desperado.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for bandit
Contemporary Examples
She stormed off next door, where the business owner tried to chase Wislon off before the bandit squeezed off a round.
One bandit came in the night to rob the couple, and shot at his wife when she exited the house.
I had my first taste of Tetra Pak wine from a neon green package labeled “Bandit” a couple of years ago.
Taking Boxed Wine Seriously: It’s Not Just for Hobos and Teenagers AnymoreJordan Salcito
March 15, 2014
After all, who has made out like a bandit since the 2008 economic collapse?
A bandit tried to rob them, and they shot and killed him and went back to work Monday morning as if nothing had happened.
Historical Examples
It was part of my plan, this meager manning of the bandit ship.
They were willing to tell the location of the bandit stronghold.
Juve now knew the answer to the riddle of the bandit's disappearance.
A Nest of SpiesPierre Souvestre
Sophie would report to the bandit—but she had not heard everything!
A Nest of SpiesPierre Souvestre
How could you imagine the infernal trick this bandit was playing on you?
A Nest of SpiesPierre Souvestre
bandit
- a robber, esp a member of an armed gang; brigand
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Word Origin
C16: from Italian bandito, literally: banished man, from bandire to proscribe, from bando edict, ban 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for bandit
n.
1590s, from Italian bandito (plural banditi) "outlaw," past participle of bandire "proscribe, banish," from Vulgar Latin *bannire "to proclaim, proscribe," from Proto-Germanic *bann (see ban (v.)). *Bannire (or its Frankish cognate *bannjan) in Old French became banir-, which, with lengthened stem, became English banish.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper