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

Verb

• appropriate
• boost [slang]
• filch
• hook
• lift
• misappropriate
• nick [British slang]
• nip
• pilfer
• pinch
• pocket
• purloin
• rip off
• snitch
• steal
• swipe
• thieve

Noun

• grab
• pinch
• rip-off
• snatching
• swiping
• 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

Nesbit scoffs at the proposal, citing the difficulties of heisting perhaps a metric tonne of nuclear material. —IEEE Spectrum, 17 June 2024

Plus, the Wall Street Journal told us to save money by skipping breakfast, and a man in the UK heisted thousands of dollars worth of Cadbury Creme Eggs. —Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 17 Feb. 2023

Noun

Up next, he’ll be seen on Peacock’s Poker Face, with additional roles in 20th’s heist thriller Eenie Meanie and the indies The Razor’s Edge and Our Hero Balthazar, opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Noah Centineo, respectively. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2024

In the 1968 film, Dunaway played a private investigator caught up in an affair with the wealthy mastermind behind a bank heist, played by another '60s heartthrob, McQueen. —Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

variant of hoist entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1930, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

heist

noun

ˈhīst

: armed robbery

also : theft

Etymology

Noun

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