heist
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
to take unlawfully, especially in a robbery or holdup; steal.
to heist a million dollars' worth of jewels.
-
to rob or hold up.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heist
1925–30, alteration of hoist
Explanation
When a man with a gun walks into a bank and says, "Give me all your money," that's a heist or a robbery at gunpoint. Heist, pronounced "hīst," is a slang word for an armed robbery. It's also a slang word used to describe the act of stealing or breaking into someone's house to steal their stuff. In other words, it's a burglary. Heist can also act as a verb: "If you've heisted a diamond ring, you've stolen it."
Vocabulary lists containing heist
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Six of Crows
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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.
Among the disguises was the red overalls and mask from the Spanish Netflix show Money Heist.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
Appeared in the November 26, 2025, print edition as 'Taking a Loupe To the Louvre Heist'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
Forty-two independent film projects were awarded tax credits, including “Epiphany” starring Bill Murray and Kristen Wiig and the Taika Waititi-produced “The Incredible Heist of Hallelujah Jones,” which stars Janelle Monáe.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025
Ratner has no glaring ties to Trump, however, the director used Trump International Hotel & Tower as the primary location for his thriller "Tower Heist" in 2011.
From Salon • Jan. 6, 2025
In this respect the most famous prodigies of patience were Dow, Mieris, Potter, and Van der Heist, but more or less all the Dutch painters.
From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 1 by Runkle, Lucia Isabella Gilbert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
