Meaning & use
bandit
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Meanings
nouncountable
A member of an armed group that robs travelers or attacks isolated places.
Grammar: Countable noun; use a bandit or bandits. Often used in the plural for a group.
Patterns
- a band of bandits
- armed bandits
- bandit attacks
In the 19th century, bandits often attacked stagecoaches in the mountains.
The village was raided by a group of bandits.
Travelers were warned about bandits on the remote road.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A person who takes money or property illegally, especially in a gang.
Grammar: Often used in news reports about organized crime; slightly old-fashioned compared to robber.
Patterns
- a gang of bandits
- a bandit gang
The police arrested a bandit who had robbed several banks.
He was described as a bandit who preyed on wealthy merchants.
Word forms
| plural | bandits |
|---|
Common combinations
- armed bandits
- The convoy was stopped by armed bandits.
- a band of bandits
- A band of bandits terrorized the region for months.
- bandit country
- The border area was known as bandit country.
- one-armed bandit
- He lost a lot of money on the one-armed bandit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- robber
- Robber is the general word for someone who steals, often from a person or place; bandit suggests an armed gang in a rural or lawless area.
- outlaw
- Outlaw means someone who has broken the law and is hiding, often a fugitive; bandit emphasizes armed robbery.
- brigand
- Brigand is a literary or old-fashioned word for a bandit, especially in historical contexts.
Word family
- banditry noun
- The activity of being a bandit; robbery by armed groups.
Commonly confused: bandit or bandit?
bandit vs bandit
Do not confuse with 'bandit' and 'bandaid' (a brand of adhesive bandage).
Practice
The travelers were stopped by a group of ______ in the mountains.
Choose one answer.
A group of requires a plural countable noun, so bandits is correct. Bandit is singular; banditry is an uncountable noun meaning the activity; banditries is not a word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bandit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.