robbery

American  

[rob-uh-ree] / ˈrɒb ə ri /

noun

PLURAL

robberies

1. the act, the practice, or an instance of robbing.

   Synonyms:

   burglary , theft , pillage , plunder

2. Law.  the felonious taking of someone's property from their person or in their immediate presence, against their will, by violence or intimidation.

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robbery British  

/ ˈrɒbərɪ /

noun

1. criminal law the stealing of property from a person by using or threatening to use force

2. the act or an instance of robbing

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robbery Idioms  

1. see daylight robbery; highway robbery.

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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

• antirobbery adjective

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:

• larceny vs. robbery

Example Sentences

One of those men, serving time for armed robbery, said the reunion brought a rush of memories: “Seeing her in a dress, crying and running to me … that broke me down.”

From Salon

The Pentagon says crime across the district decreased 40% compared with the same period last year, including carjackings, robberies and violent crime.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Louvre Heist” is an economical and fairly breathless dash around the French capital, the crime scene and the details of the as-yet-unsolved robbery.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We know that when carjackings go down, when use of guns go down, when homicides or robberies go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer,” Bowser said in late August.

From The Wall Street Journal

The heist shocked France and turned a spotlight on the porous security system of the Louvre and other museums across the country that have become the target of an increasing number of robberies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• break in
• burglary
• embezzlement
• felony
• heist
• holdup
• larceny
• looting
• mugging
• theft
• wrongdoing