maraud

/məˈrɔd/

Other forms: marauding; marauded; marauds

As a verb maraud means to rove about the countryside looking for goods to steal and in general, to make mayhem and trouble. The Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Pirates of Penzance is about a band of marauding pirates, the daughters of Major-General Stanley, and a big misunderstanding.

The word maraud comes from a Middle French word that means "rascal or rogue." A marauder is someone who marauds and marauding describes people who raid and plunder. As a noun, a maraud is a quick, short foray. As a teenager, you may have participated in a midnight maraud to festoon your friend's house with toilet paper or capture the mascot of your rival sports team.

Definitions of maraud

1. verb

   raid and rove in search of plunder
   “marauding rebels overran the countryside”

   type of:

   foray into, raid

   enter someone else's territory and take spoils
2. noun

   a sudden short attack
   synonyms: foray, raid

   types:

   air attack, air raid

   an attack by armed planes on a surface target

   swoop

   a very rapid raid

   type of:

   incursion, penetration

   an attack that penetrates into enemy territory