maroon
1 Americanadjective
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dark brownish-red.
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Chiefly British.
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a loudly exploding firework consisting of a cardboard container filled with gunpowder.
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a similar firework used as a danger or warning signal, as by railway brakemen.
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verb (used with object)
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to put ashore and abandon on a desolate island or coast by way of punishment or the like, as was done by buccaneers.
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to place in an isolated and often dangerous position.
The rising floodwaters marooned us on top of the house.
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to abandon and leave without aid or resources.
Having lost all his money, he was marooned in the strange city.
noun
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(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.
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a person who is marooned.
Robinson Crusoe lived for years as a maroon.
verb
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to leave ashore and abandon, esp on an island
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to isolate without resources
noun
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a descendant of a group of runaway slaves living in the remoter areas of the Caribbean or Guyana
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informal a person who has been marooned, esp on an island
noun
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a dark red to purplish-red colour
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( as adjective )
a maroon carpet
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an exploding firework, esp one used as a warning signal
Etymology
Origin of maroon1
First recorded in 1585–95; from French marron literally, “chestnut (nut and color), firecracker,” Middle French, from Italian marrone “chestnut, brown”; further origin unknown
Origin of maroon2
First recorded in 1660–70; from French mar(r)on, apparently from Colonial Spanish cimarrón “wild”; first used in reference to domestic animals that escaped into the woods, later to people who escaped slavery; cimarron
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sunday was about the blue and the green but ended up being more about those in maroon and claret and amber.
From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026
In his maroon robes, simple sandals and wide-rimmed spectacles, the Dalai Lama is an unlikely global celebrity.
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
He said he saw two men he believed to be agents surround a maroon Honda Pilot while another pulled on the driver’s side handle a couple of times.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026
I thought Alex was pretty cute in his light maroon jacket — the kind that’s perfect for those May gray evenings and one that highlighted his wispy blond hair.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025
My brother is dressed the nicest I’ve seen him in a long time—looking sharp in tan slacks and a maroon button-down shirt.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.