border ruffian

American  

[bawr-der ruhf-ee-uhn] / ˈbɔr dər ˈrʌf i ən /

noun

border ruffians plural

1. U.S. History. Often, Border Ruffian. any of a group of criminal proslavery activists of Missouri who crossed into Kansas in order to intimidate, attack, rob, and sometimes murder opponents of slavery and to vote fraudulently in elections in an effort to defeat antislavery settlers there.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• border ruffians
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

border ruffian

Quantrell was, however, a mere border ruffian and was disowned by the Confederate army.

From Abroad at Home American Ramblings, Observations, and Adventures of Julian Street by Street, Julian

The clergyman was only a stripling beside this seasoned border ruffian.

From Analyzing Character by Blackford, Katherine M. H.

The main features of Buchanan's administration to hasten the "irrepressible conflict" were the well-weighed words of the Chief Justice and the wild invasion of a border ruffian.

From Robert Toombs Statesman, Speaker, Soldier, Sage by Stovall, Pleasant A.

The next day he reported that Watt had met a man who wore a slouch-hat, had unkempt red hair, and in general looked like a border ruffian.

From True Detective Stories From the archives of the Pinkertons by Moffett, Cleveland

He’s a governor-general now, a sort of viceroy, and all sorts of things; while I’m—well, a fair specimen of a Western border ruffian.

From Golden Face A Tale of the Wild West by Mitford, Bertram