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.
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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.
For Dallas, a 10th straight loss leaves the Mavericks marooned in 12th in the Western Conference, and outside of playoff contention.
From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026
In fact, the company says the app’s downloads have tripled since the FAA reduced air traffic earlier this month, which sparked a mad scramble across the industry and left travelers marooned.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025
"People marooned on rooftops are asking to be rescued," Cebu information officer Rhon Ramos told AFP by phone, adding that even some evacuation centres had been flooded.
From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025
"There are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened," Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said.
From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025
Being hungry in addition to being marooned like this was really a bit too much.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
