pickpocket

American  

[pik-pok-it] / ˈpɪkˌpɒk ɪt /

noun

1. a person who steals money, wallets, etc., from the pockets of people, as in crowded public places.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to steal (a wallet, money, etc.) in the manner of a pickpocket.

2. to steal from (a person) in the manner of a pickpocket.

pickpocket British  

/ ˈpɪkˌpɒkɪt /

noun

1. a person who steals from the pockets or handbags of others in public places

---

Etymology

Origin of pickpocket

First recorded in 1585–95; pick ¹ + pocket

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

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 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

TCU: The Horned Frogs disrupted the Longhorns with quick hands and pickpocket steals that turned into early points.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 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

It was like a punch to the gut, knowing that a girl born there could end up a common pickpocket in the slums of the Levee.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• thief