ren·e·gade
ˈre-ni-ˌgād 
1
: a deserter from one faith, cause, or allegiance to another
2
: an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior
1
: having deserted a faith, cause, or religion for a hostile one
2
: having rejected tradition : unconventional
Synonyms
Examples of renegade in a Sentence
Noun
The group was full of free spirits and renegades who challenged every assumption of what art should be.
She regaled him with stories about pirates and renegades on the high seas.
Recent Examples on the Web
Debby Wu, Fortune Asia, 3 Apr. 2024
And at that time, very literally, renegades from the armed forces during the increase of the war in Vietnam, with more and more people being drafted and sent overseas.
—Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
The movie also features a scene in which two members of Chief’s posse rob a bank while disguised as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the real-life renegades immortalized by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, respectively, in the eponymous 1969 classic.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
King is by far the cutest renegade, and his adorable antics made the shelter go viral.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024
The ballooning costs reflect the broken promises of crypto, a renegade industry that was pitched to amateur traders as a force for equality in the ultra-stratified world of high finance.
—Yiwen Lu, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
Groove Cruise loves surprises, from guests to unannounced B2B and renegade parties.
—Kathleen Bruce, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2024
The garrison town established in the 1840s was once dominated by outlaws and renegades like gunslinger John King Fisher.
—Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
Her pursuit of renegade brothers Henry and Sam (guest actor nominees Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard) put her at cross purposes with Joel and Ellie to murderous consequences.
—Lanford Beard, Peoplemag, 7 Jan. 2024
Claude Gatebuke, The New York Review of Books, 10 June 2021
Christian Holub, EW.com, 2 Oct. 2023
Get ready to be bowled over by a renegade Wagon Wheel Watusi, because Christina Aguilera just delivered one of the most stunning celebrity Halloween costumes of the year.
—EW.com, 31 Oct. 2023
The dominant images in politics, however, were of tumult and trouble: A renegade House member heckling the president.
—Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2023
The jokes seemed to provide the latest evidence that Hollywood has cooled on the renegade royal couple who were once set to take the entertainment industry by storm with their media mogul aspirations.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2024
The Burkinabe military is floundering in the face of a surge in Islamist militancy, with renegade factions controlling more than half the country.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2023
The first issue Production of the magazine, starting with its maiden issue in February 1969, was a proudly renegade operation.
—Timothy R. Smith, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023
The Boys follows a group of celebrity superheroes who abuse their powers for their own selfish gains and a renegade group of outlaws who are trying to bring them down.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Nov. 2023
The film follows a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy who arrives in the dead of night at a remote monastery run by a renegade nun, disturbing the delicately balanced world.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Sep. 2023
Noun
American officials, mindful of the threat to Taiwan from a mainland Chinese government that considers the island a renegade province, have pushed U.S. and Taiwanese companies—including TSMC—to diversify geographically.
—Debby Wu, Fortune Asia, 3 Apr. 2024
And at that time, very literally, renegades from the armed forces during the increase of the war in Vietnam, with more and more people being drafted and sent overseas.
—Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
The movie also features a scene in which two members of Chief’s posse rob a bank while disguised as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the real-life renegades immortalized by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, respectively, in the eponymous 1969 classic.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
King is by far the cutest renegade, and his adorable antics made the shelter go viral.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024
The ballooning costs reflect the broken promises of crypto, a renegade industry that was pitched to amateur traders as a force for equality in the ultra-stratified world of high finance.
—Yiwen Lu, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
Groove Cruise loves surprises, from guests to unannounced B2B and renegade parties.
—Kathleen Bruce, SPIN, 12 Feb. 2024
The garrison town established in the 1840s was once dominated by outlaws and renegades like gunslinger John King Fisher.
—Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
Her pursuit of renegade brothers Henry and Sam (guest actor nominees Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard) put her at cross purposes with Joel and Ellie to murderous consequences.
—Lanford Beard, Peoplemag, 7 Jan. 2024
Verb
Do Not Disturb follows Karegeya’s life from African herd boy to BMW-driving government spy to renegade refugee who fell prey to the boredom, loneliness, and conspiracies of exile.
—Claude Gatebuke, The New York Review of Books, 10 June 2021
Adjective
Percy no longer has to worry about renegade Titans trying to destroy the world or unleash unstoppable monsters from the pit of monsters.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 2 Oct. 2023
Get ready to be bowled over by a renegade Wagon Wheel Watusi, because Christina Aguilera just delivered one of the most stunning celebrity Halloween costumes of the year.
—EW.com, 31 Oct. 2023
The dominant images in politics, however, were of tumult and trouble: A renegade House member heckling the president.
—Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2023
The jokes seemed to provide the latest evidence that Hollywood has cooled on the renegade royal couple who were once set to take the entertainment industry by storm with their media mogul aspirations.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2024
The Burkinabe military is floundering in the face of a surge in Islamist militancy, with renegade factions controlling more than half the country.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2023
The first issue Production of the magazine, starting with its maiden issue in February 1969, was a proudly renegade operation.
—Timothy R. Smith, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023
The Boys follows a group of celebrity superheroes who abuse their powers for their own selfish gains and a renegade group of outlaws who are trying to bring them down.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Nov. 2023
The film follows a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy who arrives in the dead of night at a remote monastery run by a renegade nun, disturbing the delicately balanced world.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'renegade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near renegade
Cite this Entry
“Renegade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/renegade. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
renegade
1 of 2 noun
ren·e·gade
ˈren-i-ˌgād
1
: a person who deserts a faith, cause, or party
2
: a person who rejects lawful or acceptable behavior
renegade
2 of 2 adjective1
: having deserted a faith, cause, or party
2
: having rejected tradition : unconventional
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