bandit

American  

[ban-dit] / ˈbæn dɪt /

noun

plural

bandits,

plural

banditti

1. a robber, especially a member of a gang or marauding band.

   Synonyms:

   desperado, brigand

2. an outlaw or highwayman.

   Synonyms:

   desperado, brigand

3. Informal.

   1. a person who takes unfair advantage of others, as a merchant who overcharges; swindler; cheat.

   2. a vendor, cab driver, etc., who operates a business or works without a required license or permit, and without observing the usual rules or practices.

4. Military Informal. an enemy aircraft, especially an attacking fighter.

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idioms

1. make out like a bandit, to be extremely successful; profit greatly.

   The early investors in the company have made out like bandits.

bandit British  

/ ˈbændɪt /

noun

1. a robber, esp a member of an armed gang; brigand

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Other Word Forms

• banditry noun

Etymology

Origin of bandit

First recorded in 1585–95; earlier bandetto, plural banditti, from Italian banditi “outlaws,” plural of bandito “proscribed,” past participle of bandire “banish, exile, announce publicly,” from Gothic bandwjan “to make a sign, indicate” ( cf. band ¹) with verb suffix -ire, from Latin -īre

Explanation

A bandit is a robber, thief, or outlaw. If you cover your face with a bandanna, jump on your horse, and rob the passengers on a train, you're a bandit. A bandit typically belongs to a gang of bandits who commit crimes in remote, lawless, or out-of-the-way places. A bus traveling through an isolated location that's not policed might be at risk for being attacked by bandits. The word bandit comes from the Italian bandito, "outlaw," from the Vulgar Latin bannire, "to proclaim or proscribe," by way of a Germanic root that's shared by ban.

Example Sentences

Ms Martin says it's only a matter of time before the masked bandit strikes the shopping centre again.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025

He would have made out like a bandit, given the fall in property prices, which took the best part of a decade to recover.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 7, 2025

That alone did not cause him to become a bandit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Cicero, Mr. Delbourgo writes, denounced Verres as “a bandit, a pirate, and a predator” driven by “amentiam singularem et furorem,” or “singular and furious madness.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

“Well, if you’re not a bandit, you will have to go home very soon, and there is no point in teaching you how to live on fish and bark and plants.”

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• criminal
• gangster
• hooligan
• marauder
• mobster
• outlaw
• pirate
• raider
• robber