heist

[hahyst]

noun

1. a robbery or holdup.

   Four men were involved in the armored car heist.

verb (used with object)

1. to take unlawfully, especially in a robbery or holdup; steal.

   to heist a million dollars' worth of jewels.

2. to rob or hold up.

heist

/ haɪst /

noun

1. a robbery

verb

1. (tr) to steal or burgle

Other Word Forms

• heister noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of heist¹

1925–30, alteration of hoist

Word History and Origins

Origin of heist¹

variant of _hoist

Example Sentences

The audacious heist made headlines worldwide and sparked a debate over security at the world's most-visited museum.

Read more on Barron's

The SUV used in the heist had a fake number plate and a sticker that read 'Government of India', a police official told the BBC on condition of anonymity.

Read more on BBC

Once in the United States, police say, they plan heists and sometimes fence the loot before dispatching their earnings back home.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Those arrested over the heist that shocked France were all petty criminals rather than organised crime professionals, Paris's prosecutor has said.

Read more on BBC

"There aren't a lot of crime heist series that get to episode 3, simply because it's so hard to keep these stories fresh," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• abduct 
• divert 
• loot 
• pilfer 
• plunder 
• ransack 
• remove 
• swipe 
• take