robbery

robbery — noun

1. the criminal offence of taking something that belongs to someone else by using f

1.nounB1
Definition

the criminal offence of taking something that belongs to someone else by using force or making them afraid of being hurt

Example

The bank robbery on Main Street was caught on the security cameras.

robbery + of + [location]

Gabriel was charged with robbery after stealing cash from a convenience store.

Common collocations
  • commit a robbery
  • armed robbery
  • bank robbery
  • attempted robbery
  • report a robbery
  • robbery suspect
Synonyms
  • mugging

    more specific; refers to robbery of a person on the street, often with physical violence

  • hold-up

    informal; describes robbery at gunpoint, especially of a bank or shop

  • heist

    informal; suggests a carefully planned robbery of a large sum of money or valuables

  • stick-up

    slang; robbery carried out with a gun, used mainly in informal American English

Antonyms
  • restitution

    the act of giving back stolen property or paying for a loss, the opposite of taking by force

  • donation

    giving something freely and voluntarily

Grammar Patterns

robbery + of + [person/place]

commit + a/the + robbery

armed + robbery

Usage Note

Robbery specifically involves force or the threat of force against a person, which sets it apart from burglary (entering a building to steal) and theft (taking property without a victim present). When a weapon is involved, the compound noun 'armed robbery' is used, which carries a heavier penalty in most legal systems.

Common Mistakes

The thief committed a burglary by pointing a gun at the shop owner.
The thief committed a robbery by pointing a gun at the shop owner.
Burglary means entering a building illegally to steal; robbery involves direct force or threats against a person.
She was arrested for robbery after she picked up a lost wallet on the street.
She was arrested for theft after she picked up a lost wallet on the street.
Taking lost property without force is theft, not robbery.
Idioms

daylight robbery

idiom

a situation in which the price charged for something is unreasonably high, making the person paying feel cheated or taken advantage of

Charging NT$200 for a simple cup of tea is daylight robbery.

highway robbery

idiom

an expression used when a price or fee feels unfairly high, as if the seller is forcing you to part with your money

Jack paid NT$1,500 for a taxi ride across the city — that is highway robbery!

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Robbery, burglary, theft, and mugging all involve taking what does not belong to you, but the law treats them differently. Robbery requires force or the threat of force against a person — holding up a bank teller at gunpoint is robbery. Burglary means entering a building illegally with the intent to steal, even if no one is inside. Theft (or larceny) is the broadest term: taking someone else's property without permission, from shoplifting to picking a lost wallet off the ground. Mugging is a specific type of street robbery where a person is physically attacked for their belongings. So while a mugging is always a robbery, not every robbery is a mugging, and neither is a burglary. Understanding these boundaries helps you use the right word in legal, news, and everyday contexts.

robbery ↗burglary ↗theft ↗mugging ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • robbery victim
  • robbery suspect
  • robbery investigation
  • robbery charge
  • robbery conviction

Phrases

  • in the course of a robbery
  • at gunpoint during a robbery
  • armed robbery with a deadly weapon

Prepositions

  • of (robbery of a bank / robbery of a person)

Etymology

FrankishOld FrenchEnglish

Robbery entered English in the 13th century through Old French 'roberie' (meaning 'the act of robbing'), from the verb 'rober' ('to steal, to plunder'). The Old French verb traces further back to Frankish '*rauba' (meaning 'booty, spoils' — things stripped from a defeated enemy). The core image has stayed remarkably consistent across 800 years: taking someone else's possessions against their will, by force.