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Fagin

American  
[fey-gin] / ˈfeɪ gɪn /

noun

  1. (in Dickens'Oliver Twist ) a villainous old man who trains and uses young boys as thieves.

  2. Also fagin. a person who teaches crime to others.


Fagin Cultural  
  1. A villain in the novel Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. The unscrupulous, miserly Fagin teaches Oliver Twist and other orphaned boys to pick pockets and steal for him.


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:

He did hilarious impressions of people like his cousin Fagin Springer, a singing evangelist from Virginia, and the tough old cowhands on his uncle’s Montana ranch.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 16, 2026

It said Friday that Steven Fagin, the U.S. ambassador to Yemen, will serve as the civilian lead at the center.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 26, 2025

And it is just the latest time Fagin has taken a major concurrent position.

From Barron's Oct. 24, 2025

I first heard about ICEBlock through various posts by former Rosenbergs front man David Fagin, who has been raising awareness on behalf of his onetime bandmate.

From Slate May 16, 2025

I mean, it’s his full-on Fagin voice—low and trembly and vaguely British.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

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