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Synonyms

mugger

1 American  
[muhg-er] / ˈmʌg ər /

noun

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

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).

mugger 1 British  
/ ˈmʌɡə /

noun

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

  2. a person who overacts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
mugger 2 British  
/ ˈmʌɡə /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A blind BBC reporter managed to stop a mugger from stealing his mobile phone by "instinctively" leaping on them.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2022

“The figure of Black criminality is no longer limited to the mugger or the rioter or the gang member,” said Insa Koch, an anthropologist and lawyer who studies the legislation’s application in Britain.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2022

I won't fight a mugger because I'm scared of what he'd do to me, so I walk away.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2019

When he rushes to the aid of what he thinks is a damsel in distress, he finds a mugger uttering high-pitched screams, the woman who’s just pepper-sprayed him standing calmly at his side.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2019

The officers took Beatrice home and offered to help find the mugger.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

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.