heist

heist · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A robbery or theft, especially an elaborate or planned one.

  2. 2.

    (as verb, informal) To steal or rob, especially in a daring or elaborate way.

Forms

plural: heists

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    heist movie/film — a genre of film depicting elaborate robberies
  • •
    pull a heist — to carry out a robbery

Related words

See also: burglary, robbery, steal, theft
Synonyms: burglary, holdup, robbery, theft

Etymology

American English slang, an alteration of hoist (meaning "to lift"), which was 19th-century underworld slang for shoplifting. First recorded in the 1930s.