marauder
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of marauder
Explanation
A marauder is someone who roams around looking for things to steal. You might hear news reports about a marauder breaking into cars in your neighborhood. The word marauder entered English in the 17th century, from the Middle French word maraud, meaning "rascal." Even in modern times, if you’re a marauder you’re certainly a rascal — probably even a criminal. A marauder doesn’t target a victim and plan a crime — instead a marauder is on the move looking for opportunities to rob people or steal things. Marauders often travel in groups, looting whatever they can.
Vocabulary lists containing marauder
Grendel
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The Road
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Salt to the Sea
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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.
He was hesitant and fearful of the young marauder.
From BBC • Nov. 15, 2024
These words propel him into manhood, as he grows from a wide-eyed boy played by Oscar Novak into a cold-eyed marauder played by Alexander Skarsgard.
From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2022
Their center, Jonquel Jones, is an imposing, electric presence, and a marauder on the boards.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 8, 2019
“Love what you’ve done with the town since we’ve been gone,” says one black-bearded marauder as he passes the crowd gathered in the town square.
From Washington Post • Jun. 6, 2019
When she went into dreams, she went as a trespasser, a marauder.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
