as in thieves
a person who steals money and other things from people's pockets and purses
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Recent Examples of pickpockets
It can be worn as a tote, crossbody, or shoulder bag, and has anti-theft features to keep your belongings protected from thieves and pickpockets.
—
Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2026
Rafiq suspected that the anxiety suffusing the market had made any pickpockets unlikely to be scoping out potential shoppers.
—Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2026
Rafiq suspected that the anxiety suffusing the market had made any pickpockets unlikely to be scoping out potential shoppers.
—Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickpockets
Noun
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The heist wasn’t quite as movie‑made as the Louvre heist in October 2025, when four masked thieves pulled off a daylight robbery in just seven minutes, smashing display cases to steal eight pieces of France’s historic crown jewels.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
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Mar Vista resident Andrew Martin joined the councilmembers at their news conference after copper wire thieves left his neighborhood in the dark.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Los Angeles Times reported that the girlfriend's last name is Arroyo and that the 31-year-old woman, who was in the shower when the robbers broke in, had been restrained with zip ties.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
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The robbers ran toward that shelter after beating Ajsac Sirin, and someone recognized Delia from a wanted poster, prosecutors said.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This scam, according to Kent, could be proliferated with the use of AI, which can allow swindlers to enroll in many different college programs at once.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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When Ferrara was starting out, private investment in low-budget films was spurred by tax loopholes, a way for doctors, dentists, and racketeers to get rid of extra cash that would otherwise wind up in Uncle Sam’s grubby mitts.—
Nick Pinkerton,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The mural can't be covered with anti-graffiti coating until it's completely finished, so Act 4 SA plans to install cameras and lights to deter potential vandals until then.—
Annasofia Scheve,
San Antonio Express-News,
3 Feb. 2026
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If caught, the vandals could face serious consequences.—
Outside,
Outside,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the film, the twins return from Chicago in the early 1930s, which inspired Carter to turn to photos of Chicago gangsters from the era.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
9 Feb. 2026
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Ryan Gosling plays an American expat in Bangkok who gets in over his head with some local gangsters.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The first pictures McCullin took were of hoodlums and down-and-outs, subjects that reflected his own hardscrabble background.—
Andrew Pulver,
Air Mail,
31 Jan. 2026
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Aleah and Grasso end up saving Lizzie’s ass and capturing the hoodlums.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ciri, unbeknowest to her surrogate ma and pa, is free of her Nilfgaardian captors and on the run with a band of adolescent ruffians, and perhaps figuring out how to take care of herself.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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When both young people meet their end the Baron saves Christina by putting Hans’ brain in Christina’s body, uniting their blurred identities in a joint thirst for revenge, creating a Gothic avenger who hunts down the aristocratic ruffians who ruined their happiness.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pickpockets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickpockets. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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