Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Billy the Kid

American  

noun

  1. William H. Bonney, 1859–81, U.S. outlaw.

  2. (italics) a ballet (1938) choreographed by Eugene Loring, with musical score by Aaron Copland.


Billy the Kid British  

noun

  1. nickname of William H. Bonney . 1859–81, US outlaw

"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

Billy the Kid Cultural  
  1. An outlaw of the late nineteenth century in New Mexico, who claimed to have killed over twenty people; he was gunned down himself at age twenty-one. His real name is uncertain.


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.

See Examples For:

"These people took the money just as though they were John Dillinger or Billy the Kid," he said.

From BBC Feb. 23, 2026

The series is loosely — very loosely — based on a real robber named Dick Turpin, an English outlaw not unlike Jesse James or Billy the Kid.

From Seattle Times Feb. 28, 2024

This year also begat "Billy the Kid" from "Vikings" creator Michael Hirst, which failed to hold its storytelling reins as securely as these other titles.

From Salon Nov. 20, 2022

He also went on to star in the films "Semi-Tough," "Songwriter," "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," "Lone Star," "Blade," and "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea."

From Fox News Jan. 28, 2021

“Like the splash pads they used to have that Billy the Kid brought his kids to.”

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training