pickpocket

noun

Definition of pickpocketnext
as in thief
a person who steals money and other things from people's pockets and purses

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pickpocket Said purse needs to be roomy enough to fit all of my travel essentials, but also secure enough to keep my stuff safe from pickpockets. — Jamie Allison Sanders, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026 The film stars John Turturro as an old-school pickpocket who finds himself in a dangerous race against time through city streets. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 23 June 2026 It’s made from slash-proof material and features locking zippers to protect against potential pickpockets. — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026 Three people suspecting in a series of pickpocket crimes in San Francisco's Chinatown were arrested over the weekend after a weeks-long investigation, police said Tuesday. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 19 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for pickpocket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickpocket
  1. thief
  2. robber
  3. swindler
  4. racketeer
  5. gangster
  6. hoodlum
  7. ruffian
  8. thug
Noun
  • John Krasinski stars as a jet-setting art thief who steals priceless paintings to help uncover clues as to the whereabouts of the fabled Fountain of Youth.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • For the second time in just over a month, the owners of a Pokémon card shop in the Pico-Robertson area are cleaning up after thieves targeted their business.
    — Amanda Starrantino, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of thief
Noun
  • Cargo theft has been around for centuries, evident for example in the train robbers of the late 1800s, but soaring demand for AI hardware has shifted heist targets to data centers and the technology’s ever-expanding infrastructure.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 July 2026
  • The crux of the case stems from a 2019 armed robbery at a Virginia bank and how police tracked down the robber.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 2 July 2026
Definition of robber
Noun
  • The decade ended tumultuously, with the Osmond family’s fortune drained by a series of swindlers and grifters.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The New York Times later reported that Bankman-Fried was placed in solitary confinement because the crypto swindler violated the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ rules.
    — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of swindler
Noun
  • Ferro pleaded guilty in October 2025 to conspiracy to participate in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 8 May 2026
  • The characters were based on a real family of bookmakers and racketeers who once lived in England.
    — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of racketeer
Noun
  • One of the first films of its kind, this lesbian gangster heist thriller delivers suspense and humor.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 June 2026
  • The 16 reputed gangsters or aspiring gangsters charged in the indictment range in age from 19 to 24.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • In the past decade, the leadership of the Kinahan organization has become rich and cosmopolitan, and their life styles have started to resemble those of international businessmen more than of street hoodlums.
    — Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The Knesset recently legalized the death penalty for Arabs who murder Jews, but not for the hoodlum Israeli settlers who have been killing West Bank residents to seize their land.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of hoodlum
Noun
  • Interestingly, that cigar-smoking biker ruffian was not a character in the DC Comics title of a few years back.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 5 June 2026
  • The series has lent a cinematic gangster attraction to the Peaky Blinders, yet the term itself was not one gang — as depicted in the show — but a generic expression from the late 19th century for the ‘street ruffians’ of Birmingham, born out of the city’s ring of poverty.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of ruffian
Noun
  • Alyssa Thomas' thug-like play, punching Caitlin Clark in the throat and kneeing her in the groin, is indefensible.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
  • Ditto Hugh Jackman’s unerring performance — perhaps his finest dramatic work yet — as a savage, unfeeling thug and unrepentant murderer and thief.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
Definition of thug

Browse Nearby Words

pick over
pickpocket
pickpockets
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Cite this Entry

“Pickpocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickpocket. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pickpocket

Nglish: Translation of pickpocket for Spanish Speakers

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