smash-and-grab
Britishadjective
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.
Around that same time, investigators were trying to unravel a possibly unrelated local smash-and-grab theft ring targeting Lego toys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2026
"In some cases, incidents appear opportunistic, smash-and-grab, while others look more targeted -- suggesting prior knowledge of store layouts, closing routines, or where higher-value inventory is kept," Jarman said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
Disney's lawyers accused ByteDance of committing a "virtual smash-and-grab" of their intellectual property, including superheroes from Marvel, Star Wars and various cartoons.
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026
Unlike thieves who carry weapons into museums or use axes to smash-and-grab, art-world scammers rarely get violent—so their prison sentences often get cut short.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
"Probably it was called a smash-and-grab robbery, down here."
From The Enormous Room by Horace Leonard Gold
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.
