From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbrigandbrig‧and /ˈbrɪɡənd/ noun [countable] literary STEALa thief, especially one of a group that attacks people in mountains or forests
Examples from the Corpus
brigand• At the worst possible moment a brigand named Babbitt raided the shore of Philadelphia from a commandeered ship.• You're a brigand, a throw-back to the Dark Ages.• There was a vaguely medieval theme: knights and ladies, fools and brigands.• A few days later we passed the desiccated corpse of another brigand hanging on a gibbet beside the track.• Let me tell you what really bothers me about that brigand more than his plagiarizing.• And the brigands move around, never stay in one place for too long.• When the envoys complained to the emperor, he dispatched an army to deal with these brigands.Origin brigand (1300-1400) Old French Old Italian brigante, from brigare; → BRIGADE 