robber
Americannoun
-
robbers
plural
Usage
What does robber mean? A robber is a person who robs—steals, especially by force or through threats of violence. In other words, a robber is someone who commits robbery. A robber can rob a person or a place, such as a house or business. A robber who robs a person on the street is often called a mugger. A person who robs a bank is called a bank robber and the act of doing this is called bank robbery. An armed robber is a person who commits armed robbery, which involves robbing a person or place while armed with a weapon. A robber is a kind of thief, which is a person who steals things. However, the word thief usually refers to a person who steals without anyone noticing, at least not when the theft is taking place. In contrast, a person who steals by using force, violence, or threats of force or violence would more likely be called a robber. The word rob can also be used in a kind of figurative way meaning to unfairly deprive someone of something, but robber is only used to refer to someone who robs in the literal sense. Example: Police have released sketches of the suspects in the hopes that someone can identify the bank robbers.
Synonym Usage
See thief.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of robber
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English robbere, from Old French robere. See rob, -er 1
Explanation
A robber is someone who steals from another person. A bank robber might steal money from a teller by claiming to have a gun, while a robber baron is much more subtle. Robbery is the crime that robbers commit, taking someone's property or money by hurting them or threatening to hurt them. You might picture train robbers in an old Western movie, galloping away with their loot shooting their guns in the air. In the nineteenth century, Americans began using the term "robber baron" to mean wealthy, unscrupulous businessmen.
Vocabulary lists containing robber
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:
Those who were making most of the money—the so-called robber barons—became the object of publisher Joseph Pulitzer’s editorial contempt for their not funding the long-delayed pedestal upon which the large lady was to stand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
As early as 1859 the New York Times associated Cornelius Vanderbilt with the idea of the medieval robber baron, thus tarnishing the image of the country’s biggest shipowner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Arguing over the name of a great train robber, in the midst of more serious business, Debbie and William slide into what amounts to an Abbott and Costello routine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
"Ludicrously, one of their concerns was that the robber was a 'customer'."
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
Hazel was confident she could produce enough gems and gold to impress even the greediest robber.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
The four suspected Louvre robbers have been arrested, but the jewels they are accused of grabbing in the seven-minute heist have still not been found.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
Prosecutor Arizuna Asante said Botezatu was smoking with a friend near to his car when the robbers approached.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
But this isn’t a case about cops and robbers.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
Until then, we’ll have to endure him playing a few more rounds of cops and robbers.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
Twenty million Montags running, running like an ancient flickery Keystone Comedy, cops, robbers, chasers and the chased, hunters and hunted, he had seen it a thousand times.
From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
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