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
Recent Examples on the Web
The heist in Dresden's Green Vault was Europe’s most notorious smash-and-grab art theft − until the Louvre Museum in Paris was ransacked Oct. 19.
—
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 1 Nov. 2025
At first glance, Sunderland’s 2-1 win at Chelsea looks like a smash-and-grab upset.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Unlike the successful smash-and-grab at the Louvre last weekend, J. B.’s scheme goes awry immediately.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
After an incident two weeks ago in San Jose, an 88-year-old jewelry shop owner is recovering after she was shoved to the ground as thieves raided her store in a similar smash-and-grab robbery caught on camera.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
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Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 1 Nov. 2025
At first glance, Sunderland’s 2-1 win at Chelsea looks like a smash-and-grab upset.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Unlike the successful smash-and-grab at the Louvre last weekend, J. B.’s scheme goes awry immediately.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
After an incident two weeks ago in San Jose, an 88-year-old jewelry shop owner is recovering after she was shoved to the ground as thieves raided her store in a similar smash-and-grab robbery caught on camera.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smash-and-grab
Cite this Entry
“Smash-and-grab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smash-and-grab. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.
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