maroon
1dark brownish-red.
Chiefly British.
a loudly exploding firework consisting of a cardboard container filled with gunpowder.
a similar firework used as a danger or warning signal, as by railway brakemen.
Origin of maroon
1Other definitions for maroon (2 of 2)
to put ashore and abandon on a desolate island or coast by way of punishment or the like, as was done by buccaneers.
to place in an isolated and often dangerous position: The rising floodwaters marooned us on top of the house.
to abandon and leave without aid or resources: Having lost all his money, he was marooned in the strange city.
(often initial capital letter) any of a group of Black people, descended from fugitive slaves of the 17th and 18th centuries, living in the West Indies and Guiana, especially in mountainous areas.
a person who is marooned: Robinson Crusoe lived for years as a maroon.
Origin of maroon
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use maroon in a sentence
The rebels against whom this expedition was sent were not the original Maroons of Surinam, but a later generation.
Black Rebellion | Thomas Wentworth HigginsonIn the changes of time, the Maroons may yet elevate themselves into the one, but they will never relapse into the other.
Black Rebellion | Thomas Wentworth HigginsonMartial law was declared, a body of maroons employed, and within a few days the riots were suppressed.
The West Indies and the Spanish Main [1899] | James RodwayThe game was fast and furious, but at the end of the first half the "Maroons" were leading by one touchdown.
Bert Wilson on the Gridiron | J. W. DuffieldThe "Maroons" won and, as there was not enough wind stirring to favor either goal, elected to take the kick off.
Bert Wilson on the Gridiron | J. W. Duffield
British Dictionary definitions for maroon (1 of 2)
/ (məˈruːn) /
to leave ashore and abandon, esp on an island
to isolate without resources
a descendant of a group of runaway slaves living in the remoter areas of the Caribbean or Guyana
US and Canadian informal a person who has been marooned, esp on an island
Origin of maroon
1British Dictionary definitions for maroon (2 of 2)
/ (məˈruːn) /
a dark red to purplish-red colour
(as adjective): a maroon carpet
an exploding firework, esp one used as a warning signal
Origin of maroon
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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