as in thief
a person who steals money and other things from people's pockets and purses
Related Words
Relevance
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
Arteta has been known to enlist everything from pickpockets to a naked flame to help convey his ideas to his players.
—
James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 May 2026
The film centers on a pickpocket who survives by exploiting the desires of closeted men, until his detached worldview is upended when one of his marks returns seeking closeness rather than settling scores.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 May 2026
California Democrats talk about affordability like a pickpocket promising to help find your wallet.
—Matt Klink, Daily News, 14 May 2026
According to Barcelona police, pickpocket thefts account for roughly 48 percent of crime in the Spanish city.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pickpocket
James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 May 2026
The film centers on a pickpocket who survives by exploiting the desires of closeted men, until his detached worldview is upended when one of his marks returns seeking closeness rather than settling scores.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 May 2026
California Democrats talk about affordability like a pickpocket promising to help find your wallet.
—Matt Klink, Daily News, 14 May 2026
According to Barcelona police, pickpocket thefts account for roughly 48 percent of crime in the Spanish city.
—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pickpocket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickpocket
Noun
-
In February, police in the suburbs formed a task force to target thieves who had been targeting video gambling machines, wielding crowbars and sledgehammers to break into the machines to steal cash.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
-
Freight thieves do have other tastes.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
The film stars Crowe as an ageing club owner whose dreams of selling-up and retiring are scuppered when an masked robber cleans out the business.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
13 June 2026
-
Viggo Mortensen plays Tom, a family man who swiftly kills a pair of would-be robbers at his diner and becomes a media sensation.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
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
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
Noun
-
Neither immigrant family should be linked to violent gangsters, of course.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
-
By telling a relatively straightforward story that blends real people from the era of the Gotti Mafia family with imagined characters, Martin Scorsese's dramedy biopic about a kid who falls in love with the gangster life is as even-keeled as anything the director has made.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
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
Noun
-
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
-
In fact, the GTW ruffians have to give the Big Honey some props for his relative restraint in the heat of the moment.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The actions of these thugs, who should be imprisoned for a long while, is the cause of denying real Knicks fans the chance to watch the game communally.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 June 2026
-
People have committed suicide because a bunch of thugs went after them.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pickpocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickpocket. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
