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Synonyms

picklock

American  
[pik-lok] / ˈpɪkˌlɒk /

noun

  1. a person who picks a lock, especially a burglar.

  2. a thief.

  3. an instrument for picking a lock; lockpick.


picklock British  
/ ˈpɪkˌlɒk /

noun

  1. a person who picks locks, esp one who gains unlawful access to premises by this means

  2. an instrument for picking locks

"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 picklock

First recorded in 1545–55; pick 1 + lock 1


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:

Der Spiegel's disclosure that an expert picklock from Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's federal intelligence service had helped in the break-in enhanced the impression of a "Watergate am Rhine."

From Time Magazine Archive

The cockiest picklock in the U. S. last week signed a Europe-bound steamship's register: Charles Courtney, New York.

From Time Magazine Archive

What is a picklock compared to a debenture share?

From Time Magazine Archive

Beneath the mask his face drew into chiselled lines, as the picklock silently locked the door.

From The Further Adventures of Jimmie Dale by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard

Nay, sir," said Johnson, "conversation is the key, wine is a picklock, which forces open the box and injures it.

From Samuel Johnson by Sir Leslie Stephen

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