pickpocket
Americannoun
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pickpockets
plural
verb (used with object)
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to steal (a wallet, money, etc.) in the manner of a pickpocket.
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to steal from (a person) in the manner of a pickpocket.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pickpocket
Explanation
A pickpocket is a criminal who steals things from people's pockets or bags. Your grandmother might warn you to be on the lookout for pickpockets when you travel to Paris. Pickpockets take advantage of crowded situations to slide wallets, phones, and cash out of victims' pockets, and when they do this, you can say that they pickpocket. Probably the most famous literary pickpocket is Charles Dickens' character The Artful Dodger, from "Oliver Twist." Before pickpocket was coined, around 1590, they were called pick-purses, for obvious reasons.
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.
See Examples For:
Nathan Fielder fashions a fascinating portrait of Elizabeth Holmes; Mike Flanagan adapts ‘Carrie’ for the modern age; John Turturro plays an unlucky New York pickpocket; and much, much more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
For 23-year-old Lucas Leach, who plays pickpocket Gabriel, returning to school to film Crookhaven was a cathartic experience.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
His initial meeting with Grace, a pickpocket he picks up because she may hold a key to the keys, is flat, rather than charming.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2023
She passes like a ponytailed Pistol Pete Maravich and she has the sticky fingers of a subway pickpocket.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 29, 2023
In another sense, the tragedy of the once master pickpocket made him, for those brother old-timer hustlers, a “there but for the grace of God” symbol.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Success in each was measured by a made cut, modest lodgings and avoiding pickpockets on trains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
He even hired professional pickpockets to attend a team dinner to take phones and wallets from players, to teach them to stay alert.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
The area has been targeted by pickpockets and Rome officials have debated different ways of regulating access for years.
From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025
Ms. Poli, 57, who lives in Venice, has become prominent on social media for patrolling the streets of her hometown, calling out would-be pickpockets to tourists.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2023
Unlike Western cities, Tiwanaku had no markets—no bazaars full of shouting, bargaining, conniving entrepreneurs; no street displays of produce, pottery, and plonk; no jugglers and mimes trying to attract crowds; no pickpockets.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
