marooned
marooned — adjective
1. unable to leave a remote place, especially an island or empty stretch of land, w
unable to leave a remote place, especially an island or empty stretch of land, with no easy way to get help or return home
After the storm, the sailors were marooned on a tiny island for three weeks.
be marooned on + [place]
Amara was marooned at an empty bus stop after the last bus had already left.
Three children were marooned in a mountain cabin when heavy snow blocked the only road.
Hassan was marooned at the airport overnight after every single flight was cancelled.
A broken GPS left Ingrid marooned on a dirt road deep in a pine forest.
- rescued
saved and brought back to safety
文法句型
be marooned on + place
feel marooned at + location
用法筆記
Frequently used with 'on' + place or 'at' + location. Often follows 'be', 'feel', 'become', or 'leave'. The situation must involve genuine remoteness, not just a short delay.
常見錯誤
marooned — noun
1. a person who has been left alone in a remote place with no means of escape or re
a person who has been left alone in a remote place with no means of escape or rescue
Kwame read the diary of a maroon who lived twelve years on a bare island.
a maroon who + [survival story]
In the old tale, the maroon built a shelter from driftwood and palm leaves.
Some maroons were sailors abandoned on empty shores as punishment for mutiny.
A desperate maroon left marks on the rocks hoping a passing ship would spot them.
- castaway
more common and broader; can refer to anyone washed ashore by accident, not necessarily abandoned deliberately
用法筆記
Rare in modern English outside historical or literary contexts. The verb 'marooned' (adjective) is far more common than this noun use.
2. a Black person in the Americas during the slavery era who escaped and helped bui
a Black person in the Americas during the slavery era who escaped and helped build a hidden free community, or someone born into one of those communities generations later
Chidi studied the maroon settlements that grew deep in the forests of Suriname.
maroon + [settlement/community/village]
The maroons of Jamaica built hidden villages in the highlands to protect their freedom.
Naledi traced her roots to a maroon group that farmed beside a hidden river.
Historians found records of maroon leaders who signed treaties with colonial governments.
The museum exhibit showed tools and pottery made by maroons in the seventeenth century.
用法筆記
A specialised historical term. Refers specifically to communities of escaped enslaved people in the Caribbean and the Americas, not to any group that fled captivity.
marooned — verb
1. to deliberately leave someone alone on an empty island or remote shore, giving t
to deliberately leave someone alone on an empty island or remote shore, giving them no boat or means of returning to safety
The captain marooned three mutineers on a sandbank with only a cask of water.
maroon + [person] + on + [place]
Pirates often marooned their enemies on empty coasts as a slow form of execution.
In the adventure story, the villain marooned the hero on a volcanic island.
Theo was marooned by his crew after he refused to share the treasure map.
The legend says a Spanish captain marooned his rival on a reef at low tide.
- rescue
to save someone and bring them back from danger
文法句型
maroon + someone + on + place
用法筆記
Typically used in passive voice or with a human agent (captain, pirates, crew). The setting is almost always an island, shore, or reef. Distinct from the figurative sense (verb/2) which applies to any isolating situation.
常見錯誤
2. to trap someone in a situation or place where they are cut off from help, resour
to trap someone in a situation or place where they are cut off from help, resources, or any easy way out
The heavy snowfall marooned the whole village for three days, blocking every road.
[event] + marooned + [people] + [duration]
Mei felt marooned in a dull office job that wasted all her language skills.
feel marooned in + [situation] — figurative
A cancelled train marooned hundreds of passengers at a tiny countryside station.
The broken lift marooned Santiago between the ninth and tenth floors for two hours.
Budget cuts marooned the research team without any funding for their final year.
- free
to release from a trapped or confined state
文法句型
be marooned + by + event
maroon + someone + in + situation
用法筆記
This figurative sense extends the island-abandonment idea to any isolating situation. The subject is often an event or circumstance (storm, cancelled flight, budget cut) rather than a person. Frequently passive.