Robber Baron Definition

noun

One of the American industrial or financial magnates of the late 1800s who became wealthy by unethical means, such as questionable stock-market operations and exploitation of labor.

American Heritage

A nobleman of feudal times who robbed people traveling through his domain.

Webster's New World

Any of a number of U.S. capitalists of the late 19th cent. who acquired vast wealth by exploitation and ruthlessness.

Webster's New World

(historical) In Europe, an aristocrat who charged exorbitant fees or otherwise exacted money from people who journeyed across land or waterways which he controlled.

Wiktionary

(chiefly US, idiomatic, usually derogatory) Especially in the 19th-century and early 20th-century, a business tycoon who had great wealth and influence but whose methods were morally questionable.

Wiktionary