bandit
n. countablen. a person who steals from others, often using force or threats. In stories, bandits are usually criminals who attack travelers on the road.
n. a robber, especially one who operates in a gang or attacks travelers on a road. Historically implies a degree of organized violence or highway robbery.
The bandit stole the merchant's gold coins.
The highway bandit stopped the carriage and demanded all the passengers' money.
In the old west, the bandit was a romantic figure, feared by the law but admired by those who suffered under the banks.
Borrowed from Italian bandito (“outlawed”), a derivative of Italian bandire (“to ban”), from Late Latin bandīre, an alteration (due to Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bandwjan, “to signal”)) of Late Latin bannīre (“to ban”), from Frankish *bannan (“to ban”). Doublet of bandito.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 4, 2026