heist

1 of 2

verb

heisted; heisting; heists
Synonyms of heistnext

transitive verb

1
chiefly dialectal : hoist
2
a
: to commit armed robbery on

heist

2 of 2

noun

: armed robbery : holdup
also : theft

Synonyms of heist

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
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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 Organic eggs are $9.99 a dozen and have become so valuable people are stealing them — in Pennsylvania, 100,000 eggs worth $40,000 were heisted just this week, followed by another egg caper in Seattle. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Noun
Also jailed in connection with the heist was Wesley Miller, of Oakland. Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025 That attack accounted for roughly 40% of the total amount of crypto heists this year. Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heist

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of heist was circa 1778

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heist. Accessed 25 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

heist

noun
ˈhīst
: armed robbery
also : theft
Etymology

Noun

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

More from Merriam-Webster on heist

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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