inside job

American  

noun

1. a crime committed by or in collusion with a person or persons closely associated with the victim.

   The robbery seemed an inside job, because there was no evidence of forced entry.

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inside job British  

noun

1. informal a crime committed with the assistance of someone associated with the victim, such as a person employed on the premises burgled

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Etymology

Origin of inside job

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

I’m sure that I don’t need to tell you this, but it doesn’t hurt for us all to be reminded that value and success is an inside job.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 17, 2026

This and the fact that the thieves deliberately bypassed the one crown containing fake gems were fairly solid signals, Mr. Wittman says, that the heist was an inside job.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

Gabriel says that his childhood was engulfed by outlandish misinformation about 9/11 being "an inside job" and the Royal Family being shape-shifting lizards.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025

Criticism can, in the right hands, sometimes be more potent when it’s an inside job.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2024

He told me he worked in Easons office, clerk, inside job?

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt