noun
desperado
dehs-puh-RAH-doh
noun
1
A bold, reckless outlaw or criminal, especially one associated with the American Old West.
"The film follows a gang of desperados fleeing across the desert."
How to Use Desperado
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA dangerous, reckless outlaw, often pictured as a Wild West gunslinger.
When to use it
Mostly used in a colourful, storytelling sense rather than in everyday speech.
Word Forms
desperadoes plural, desperados plural
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The film follows a gang of _____ fleeing across the desert.
Etymology
From an old Spanish spelling of desesperado, "desperate," ultimately from Latin desperare, "to despair." A doublet of "desperate."