robbery
Americannoun
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criminal law the stealing of property from a person by using or threatening to use force
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the act or an instance of robbing
Usage
What does robbery mean? Robbery is the act of robbing—stealing, especially by force or through threats of violence. Someone who commits robbery is called a robber. Robbery can involve robbing a person or a place, such as a house or business. The robbery of a person on the street is often called a mugging. The act of robbing a bank is called bank robbery. Armed robbery involves robbing a person or place while armed with a weapon. Robbery is a kind of theft, which is the act of stealing. However, the word theft often refers to a case in which a thief steals something without anyone noticing, at least not when the theft is taking place. In contrast, a case in which a person steals by using force, violence, or threats of violence would more likely be called a robbery. The word rob can also be used in a kind of figurative way meaning to unfairly deprive someone of something, but robbery is usually only used in a literal sense. Example: Police have released sketches of the suspects in the hopes that someone can identify the men involved in the robbery.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of robbery
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English robberie from Old French. See rob, -ery
Compare meaning
How does robbery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A person who steals money from a convenience store by claiming to have a gun under his shirt is guilty of robbery, or using a violent threat to take something that doesn't belong to him. Whether a criminal wields a weapon or just threatens to hurt someone while stealing from that person, he is committing robbery. Robbery is different from burglary — breaking into a house or building to steal — because it involves a threat of danger to a person. Carjackings, stick-ups, and muggings are all different kinds of robbery.
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:
Mr. Belgal had two prior arrests in the city, including one for robbery, according to the New York Police Department.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
"This name is the tip of the iceberg," Yeni leader Ozgur Ozel told a party meeting on Wednesday, describing the scandal as "the robbery of the century".
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Egyptian authorities argued criminal gangsters were to blame for Regeni's murder and suggested various other explanations for his death, including a car accident, failed drug deal, or botched robbery.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
A man in Wichita Falls, Texas, just across the state line, said that he’d sold a Kawasaki Ninja sport bike to Oxford and Walters after the robbery; they’d paid $3,200 in $100 bills.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
But the truth was, he didn’t know a thing about Jimmy or his alleged involvement in a pawn-shop robbery.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
The number of recorded mobile phone thefts and robberies fell to 62,029 in the year ending August 2026, compared to 78,344 for the same period the previous year - a drop of 20%.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Fed up with witnessing muggings in Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana neighborhood, William Correia formed a volunteer group to patrol the streets and report robberies on social media.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Several robberies targeting Pokémon cards have occurred across several states in 2026 alone.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
How much will this hamper future criminal investigations of robberies, assaults, and other serious crimes?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Uncle Carlos was always uneasy about Nana living by herself in Garden Heights, especially since break-ins and robberies seem to happen more to older folks than anybody.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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