heist

1 of 2

verb

ˈhīst 

heisted; heisting; heists

transitive verb

1

chiefly dialectal : hoist

2

a

: to commit armed robbery on

b

: steal sense 1a

heist

2 of 2

noun

: armed robbery : holdup

also : theft

Synonyms of heist

Verb

• steal

Noun

• theft

Examples of heist in a Sentence

Verb

a professional burglar was able to heist a box of jewelry from the safe in the closet

Noun

it was the largest jewelry heist in the city's history

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

An unusual criminal ring focused entirely on heisting semi-trucks, trailers and dump trucks has been busted in Florida, resulting in $6 million worth of heavy equipment being found, according to investigators. — Mark Price, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2025

And Bannon got directly to business, spinning a tale to his viewers of Democrats plotting to heist the 2024 election. — Tess Owen, WIRED, 29 Oct. 2024

Noun

The break-in comes just months after a major heist at the Louvre in Paris, when $102 million worth of 19th-century jewelry was taken. — News Desk, Artforum, 7 July 2026

This latest heist recalls the brazen, daytime Louvre theft of France’s Crown Jewels in October, which, despite putting the country’s museums on relatively higher alert, does not appear to be staving off a spate of recent thefts. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

variant of hoist entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1778, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heist

• diced
• feist
• iced
• lysed
• priced
• sliced
• spiced
• spliced
• triste
• antichrist
• overpriced
• poltergeist

Kids Definition

heist

noun

ˈhīst

: armed robbery

also : theft

Etymology

Noun

from a dialect variant of hoist "an act of hoisting"