as in thief
a person who steals money and other things from people's pockets and purses
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Recent Examples of pickpocket
Footage of an American in Spain handling a pickpocket thief went viral when it was shared on social media, as viewers were amused by his quick reaction.
—
Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Jamie befriends brothel pickpocket Fergus.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
By then, the studio heads had backed off the draconian pay cuts, but a new pickpocket had arrived from Washington: a Code for the Motion Picture Industry put forward under the authority of the National Recovery Act, the enabling legislation for FDR’s New Deal.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
There’s no bigger thief in Central Texas than college basketball’s greatest pickpocket.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pickpocket
Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Jamie befriends brothel pickpocket Fergus.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
By then, the studio heads had backed off the draconian pay cuts, but a new pickpocket had arrived from Washington: a Code for the Motion Picture Industry put forward under the authority of the National Recovery Act, the enabling legislation for FDR’s New Deal.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
There’s no bigger thief in Central Texas than college basketball’s greatest pickpocket.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pickpocket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickpocket
Noun
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PragueReuters — An unknown thief snatched an 800-year-old skull believed to be of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk from a display box in a church in the northern Czech Republic and ran away with the relic, police said on Wednesday.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
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This adjustable sling bag has plenty of space for your phone, cash, keys, and other daily essentials, and is constructed with locking zippers to ward off potential thieves.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2026
Noun
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An alleged bank robber was taken into custody in Allegheny County thanks to a third grader's homework assignment, authorities said.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
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Just as robbers who steal physical items usually want to unload them as quickly as possible, Redbord says cyberthieves know their time is limited.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The decade ended tumultuously, with the Osmond family’s fortune drained by a series of swindlers and grifters.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
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The New York Times later reported that Bankman-Fried was placed in solitary confinement because the crypto swindler violated the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ rules.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Ferro pleaded guilty in October 2025 to conspiracy to participate in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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The characters were based on a real family of bookmakers and racketeers who once lived in England.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The only ones making money on alcohol now were gangsters.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 May 2026
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The gangsters who are running the country almost pride themselves on a lack of subtlety and finesse.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
11 May 2026
Noun
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In the past decade, the leadership of the Kinahan organization has become rich and cosmopolitan, and their life styles have started to resemble those of international businessmen more than of street hoodlums.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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The Knesset recently legalized the death penalty for Arabs who murder Jews, but not for the hoodlum Israeli settlers who have been killing West Bank residents to seize their land.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The series has lent a cinematic gangster attraction to the Peaky Blinders, yet the term itself was not one gang — as depicted in the show — but a generic expression from the late 19th century for the ‘street ruffians’ of Birmingham, born out of the city’s ring of poverty.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2026
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In fact, the GTW ruffians have to give the Big Honey some props for his relative restraint in the heat of the moment.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The masked thugs deposit a tearful middle-aged woman in front of Bass, Newsom, and Harris.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
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White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pickpocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickpocket. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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