pickpocket
Americannoun
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pickpockets
plural
verb (used with object)
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to steal (a wallet, money, etc.) in the manner of a pickpocket.
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to steal from (a person) in the manner of a pickpocket.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pickpocket
Explanation
A pickpocket is a criminal who steals things from people's pockets or bags. Your grandmother might warn you to be on the lookout for pickpockets when you travel to Paris. Pickpockets take advantage of crowded situations to slide wallets, phones, and cash out of victims' pockets, and when they do this, you can say that they pickpocket. Probably the most famous literary pickpocket is Charles Dickens' character The Artful Dodger, from "Oliver Twist." Before pickpocket was coined, around 1590, they were called pick-purses, for obvious reasons.
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.
See Examples For:
For 23-year-old Lucas Leach, who plays pickpocket Gabriel, returning to school to film Crookhaven was a cathartic experience.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
His initial meeting with Grace, a pickpocket he picks up because she may hold a key to the keys, is flat, rather than charming.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2023
He explained that if cameras detected a person spending too much time at a train station, the system could flag a possible pickpocket.
From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2022
Himmelsbach went to the police station in Mazatlan, where the pickpocket pleaded not to be sent to jail.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2022
“Act One, Scene Six is the pickpocket scene, right?” asks Taylor, because she's also the kind of person who pretends to ask a question just to show off what she already knows.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
The State Department recently warned fans attending games in Mexico to be on alert for pickpockets and scams, and to avoid hailing roadside taxis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
He even hired professional pickpockets to attend a team dinner to take phones and wallets from players, to teach them to stay alert.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
The area has been targeted by pickpockets, and Rome officials have debated different ways of regulating access for years.
From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025
Facewatch was founded in 2010 by Simon Gordon, the owner of a popular 19th-century wine bar in central London known for its cellarlike interior and popularity among pickpockets.
From New York Times ● Jun. 28, 2023
Unlike Western cities, Tiwanaku had no markets—no bazaars full of shouting, bargaining, conniving entrepreneurs; no street displays of produce, pottery, and plonk; no jugglers and mimes trying to attract crowds; no pickpockets.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
