highway robbery

noun

Synonyms of highway robbery next

: robbery committed on or near a public highway usually against travelers

: excessive profit or advantage derived from a business transaction

Examples of highway robbery in a Sentence

Charging that much to see a movie is highway robbery! what some rock superstars charge for concert tickets is simply highway robbery

Recent Examples on the Web Gas prices feel like highway robbery. —

CBS News, 12 June 2022 The narrative that the Brewers committed highway robbery was pervasive. —

Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2023 The highway robbery of prison phone rates That breathless Guardian story about OED editor deleting foreign words? —

Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2012 For those convicted of highway robbery, a hand and a foot were amputated. —

Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2021 What should have been a thrilling end, win or lose, in a shootout between No. 17 Kentucky and Tennessee on Saturday night, felt more like a highway robbery for UK fans. —

Reina Kempt, The Courier-Journal, 7 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'highway robbery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of highway robbery was in 1611

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near highway robbery

highway post office

highway robbery

highwheeler

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Highway robbery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/highway%20robbery. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

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