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.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 was a year removed from its gutting and eager to play the role of marauder.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 25, 2022
Their center, Jonquel Jones, is an imposing, electric presence, and a marauder on the boards.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 8, 2019
It is not long before he encounters Adrian Toomes, a villainous arms dealer who has his own alter-ego in the form of wing-sporting marauder Vulture.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2017
Raised on horror tales of army ants, he appreciates the frightening tactics of marauder ants in India, a species that swarms over its prey with a practice called “mobbing.”
From New York Times • Jun. 10, 2010
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.
