smash-and-grab

adjective

chiefly British
used to describe a robbery that is done by breaking a window of a car, store, etc., and stealing whatever can be taken quickly
a smash-and-grab robbery/thief

Examples of smash-and-grab in a Sentence

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There have even been reports of smash-and-grab thefts of stores that stock cards. Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 22 May 2026 During the smash-and-grab, a worker at the kiosk was pepper sprayed. Tim Fang, CBS News, 14 May 2026 Authorities are investigating another smash-and-grab at an Eagle Rock 7-Eleven, in which a truck was used to ram into the store and suspects stole an ATM, ABC7 reported. Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026 Wrexham had won four of their previous five league games on the road, including a dramatic smash-and-grab triumph featuring two stoppage time goals in 99 seconds at QPR, another London game Ker had attended in between his writing commitments for Sky TV show Saturday Night Live UK. Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for smash-and-grab

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Cite this Entry

“Smash-and-grab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smash-and-grab. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

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