marooned
Americanadjective
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abandoned on a desolate island or coast by way of punishment or the like, as was done by buccaneers.
In exchange for food supplies left for them on the island, the marooned mutineers handed over the ship's instruments and charts.
-
placed or left in an isolated and often dangerous position.
Getting flood relief to the marooned villages has proved difficult.
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abandoned or stuck somewhere without resources.
When flights were grounded after 9/11, Canadians offered their hospitality and their homes to put up marooned Americans.
verb
Etymology
Origin of marooned
Explanation
Someone who's marooned is stranded. When a sailor's boat is washed up on the shore of a deserted island after a big storm, both the sailor and the boat are marooned. If a teenager is abandoned at the mall by her friends, you could describe her as marooned. A marooned cruise ship that's stuck on a rocky beach is probably full of marooned passengers.
Vocabulary lists containing marooned
Minecraft: The Island
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The Worst Class Trip Ever
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Two Roads
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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.
His universally acclaimed “Summer of Soul” dropped in June 2021, offering deep refreshment to thirsty concertgoers marooned in a barren season for live music.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called it a "humanitarian gesture," saying many of the marooned ships "were running low on food," but offered few details on how the mission would work.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
This explains the sense Ms. Edebiri exudes of being suddenly marooned and adrift, and in retreat in some way from adulthood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Footage taken in the moments before the impact showed multiple motorists driving around the marooned car.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
“Oh, you mean the gong that by rights is mine, as restitution for the way you marooned me on that island?”
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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.
