robber baron

American  

noun

1. History/Historical. a noble who robbed travelers passing through his lands.

2. a ruthlessly powerful U.S. capitalist or industrialist of the late 19th century considered to have become wealthy by exploiting natural resources, corrupting legislators, or other unethical means.

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Etymology

Origin of robber baron

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

robber baron

As early as 1859 the New York Times associated Cornelius Vanderbilt with the idea of the medieval robber baron, thus tarnishing the image of the country’s biggest shipowner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

Government and private money are flowing in quantities that would make a Gilded Age robber baron blush.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025

And of course, Disney keeps mining "Star Wars" and Marvel like a robber baron.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2022

Mr. Gates became interested in immunizations in the late 1990s, when Microsoft was facing an antitrust case that cast him as a modern-day robber baron.

From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2020

In the good old fighting days he would have been a splendid robber baron.

From A Modern Buccaneer by Boldrewood, Rolf