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robbery
[ rob-uh-ree ]
noun
- the act, the practice, or an instance of robbing.
Synonyms: , , ,
- Law. the felonious taking of someone's property from their person or in their immediate presence, against their will, by violence or intimidation.
robbery
/ ˈɒəɪ /
noun
- criminal law the stealing of property from a person by using or threatening to use force
- the act or an instance of robbing
Other 51Թ Forms
- t·Dzb· adjective
51Թ History and Origins
Idioms and Phrases
see daylight robbery ; highway robbery .Compare Meanings
How does robbery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Gaitok tries to stop the Russians from committing another robbery/crime at the resort but accidentally shoots a guest because he’s so incompetent.
Three days later, former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman was the victim of an armed robbery that took place with his family inside their Maple Valley, Wash., home when the break-in took place.
Chris Hemsworth – who many speculate is in the running to become James Bond – was there to show off Crime 101, a thriller focused on robberies along Los Angeles' 101 Freeway.
Jones, now 60, was sentenced to death in 1996 for the brutal double murder of an elderly couple during a robbery in their Mead Valley home.
Meyers was talking about a supposed robbery at a bodega when the comedian materialized on set, saying, “Honestly, I’m concerned with how you’re going to end that joke.”
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More About Robbery
What doesrobbery 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.
Where doesrobbery come from?
The first records of the word robbery come from the 1100s. It comes from the Middle English robberie.
The word robbery is commonly used in the term bank robbery. That’s probably because money is the most popular thing to steal, and the bank is where the money is.
The word robbery appears in the term highway robbery, which refers to excessive overcharging. It likens a price that’s considered way too high to theft, as in Ten bucks for a hot dog? That’s highway robbery!
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to robbery?
What are some words that share a root or word element with robbery?
What are some words that often get used in discussing robbery?
How isrobbery used in real life?
You’re most likely to encounter the word robbery in news reports.
Help the bring violent criminals to justice. If you have a tip that could lead to the identification or arrest of individuals responsible for murder, rape, robbery, or aggravated assault, visit .
— FBI (@FBI)
Please see the following Press Release and Suspect information regarding the bank robbery at Citizen's Bank inside the Stop & Shop on Chauncy St. If you have any information about this suspect, please contact MPD at our tip line 508-261-7356, or send us a direct message.
— Mansfield Police MA (@MansfieldMAPD)
The Asheville Police Department says their suspect in an armed bank robbery Tuesday matches the physical description of the suspect from another bank robbery last week.
— WLOS (@WLOS_13)
Try usingrobbery!
Is robbery used correctly in the following sentence?
The movie is about a bank robbery that goes terribly wrong.
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.
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