Thesaurus results for BANDITS

bandits

noun

plural of bandit

as in pirates

a criminal who attacks and steals from travelers and who is often a member of a group of criminals They were two of the most famous bandits of the 19th century.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bandits Analysts warn each ransom payment fuels more crime as armed groups, from rural bandits to Islamist militants, raid schools, mosques and villages, with an average of 21 kidnappings reported daily. — Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 The Brigands of Rattlecreek follows a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026 One Arab American man later recalled that his great-grandfather, who pursued a similar route, never made it to the Midwest—his train was stopped by a group of bandits from Mexico who forced the passengers to hand over their belongings. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026 The train was sitting just outside a depot in Memphis when the bandits made their move. — Kiel Porter, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026 Armed groups, known as bandits in Nigeria, regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central parts of the country. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Hagans said Haitians returning to their home country from America are viewed as wealthy and vulnerable, and are often targeted by thieves and bandits. — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026 The plot is set in motion when dacoits (armed bandits) rob and murder Ram Lal, the village moneylender and head of Mano Majra’s only Hindu household. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026 Instead, most are romantic stories about young lovers separated by fate, and the rest are swashbuckling adventures full of bandits and pirates. — Literary Hub, 30 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bandits

Noun

Speaking of singing pirates, Curry clearly fancied these kinds of roles, signing on to play the villainous Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Brian Henson’s musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
That is up from Politico’s report that Somali pirates had seized at least three tankers carrying oil and fertilizer since April, while a chemical-carrying ship was hijacked off Yemen in July.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of pirates

Noun

For more than a week, there wasn’t much news or fanfare that thieves stole more than 40,000 pounds of Milwaukee-founded Pabst Blue Ribbon, or PBR, beer from a Montclair distribution center.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
In September 2025, thieves snatched three porcelain works worth millions of dollars and classed as national treasures in a heist at the Adrien Dubouche National Museum in Limoges in central France.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of thieves

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banditry

bandits

bandog

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“Bandits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bandits. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bandits

noun

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