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Synonyms

bandit

American  
[ban-dit] / ˈbæn dɪt /

noun

plural

bandits,

plural

banditti

  1. a robber, especially a member of a gang or marauding band.

    Synonyms:
    desperado, brigand

  2. an outlaw or highwayman.

    Synonyms:
    desperado, brigand

  3. Informal.

    1. a person who takes unfair advantage of others, as a merchant who overcharges; swindler; cheat.

    2. 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.

  4. Military Informal. an enemy aircraft, especially an attacking fighter.

idioms

  1. make out like a bandit, to be extremely successful; profit greatly.

    The early investors in the company have made out like bandits.
bandit British  
/ ˈbændɪt /

noun

  1. a robber, esp a member of an armed gang; brigand

"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

Other Word Forms

  • banditry noun

Etymology

Origin of bandit

First recorded in 1585–95; earlier bandetto, plural banditti, from Italian banditi “outlaws,” plural of bandito “proscribed,” past participle of bandire “banish, exile, announce publicly,” from Gothic bandwjan “to make a sign, indicate” ( band 1 ) with verb suffix -ire, from Latin -īre

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.

In the title piece, a reformed bandit is regaled—and possibly lured back to a life of adventuring—by the confessions of a confidence woman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

He would have made out like a bandit, given the fall in property prices, which took the best part of a decade to recover.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 7, 2025

Cicero, Mr. Delbourgo writes, denounced Verres as “a bandit, a pirate, and a predator” driven by “amentiam singularem et furorem,” or “singular and furious madness.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

Birnin Gwari, a mineral-rich agricultural hub, had seen a sharp drop in bandit violence since Kaduna state government brokered a peace agreement between bandits and residents in November last year.

From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025

He thought about his last climb, two weeks ago, when Hazel and he had faced the bandit Sciron on the cliffs of Croatia.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

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.