mugger

¹ American  

[muhg-er] / ˈmʌg ər /

noun

1. a person who mugs, especially one who assaults a person in order to rob them.

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mugger ² American  

[muhg-er] / ˈmʌg ər /

Or muggar,

noun

1. a broad-snouted crocodile, Crocodylus palustris, of southern Asia, that grows to a length of about 16 feet (4.88 meters).

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mugger ¹ British  

/ ˈmʌɡə /

noun

1. informal a person who commits robbery with violence, esp in the street

2. a person who overacts

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mugger ² British  

/ ˈmʌɡə /

noun

1. Also called: marsh crocodile.  a large freshwater crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus, inhabiting marshes and pools of India and Ceylon

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Etymology

Origin of mugger¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; mug + -er ¹

Origin of mugger²

First recorded in 1835–45, mugger is from the Hindi word magar

Example Sentences

The way my heart clenched up, you might have thought she was a mugger in an alley saying, “I would like to have your wallet.”

From Los Angeles Times

First, he maneuvered his food truck to cut off the mugger; then he jumped out to confront the man.

From Los Angeles Times

He said that he was a friend of Mrs. Elliott’s daughter Kari McCabe, and that muggers had stolen his money and a term paper he had written about the criminal justice system.

From New York Times

Even the alleys looked inviting, with adult-sized nutcrackers casually loitering there instead of the usual muggers.

From Salon

But political and civic leaders see the provocative masks as a public safety hazard that emboldens both petty thieves and armed muggers to fearlessly defy the law.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• assailant
• thief
• thug