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:
And so, I always equate it to a pickpocket.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2025
He got an audition by accident to play pickpocket Short Round in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, then starred as gadget-loving Data in The Goonies the following year.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2023
In a column, The Chicago Tribune’s film critic, Michael Phillips, called Sightline “a bush-league pickpocket move” and “the latest tiny nail getting tap-tap-tapped into the coffin currently under construction for an entire era of filmgoing.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2023
TCU: The Horned Frogs disrupted the Longhorns with quick hands and pickpocket steals that turned into early points.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 11, 2023
But partway through the pickpocket song, Martin suddenly stops singing.
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
Ms. Poli, 57, who lives in Venice, has become prominent on social media for patrolling the streets of her hometown, calling out would-be pickpockets to tourists.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2023
I’ve been wanting to visit Anarkali Bazaar despite Zohra’s warnings about pushy salespeople and pickpockets.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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.
