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View synonyms for robber

robber

[ rob-er ]

noun

  1. a person who robs.

    Synonyms: burglar, brigand, bandit, highwayman



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Word History and Origins

Origin of robber1

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English robbere, from Old French robere. See rob, -er 1
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Synonym Study

See thief.
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Example Sentences

Then, the robbers would suddenly turn on their victims, brandishing a handgun, threatening them with physical force and demanding they get in the car, police said.

During a brazen Valentine’s Day heist of an armored truck in Hawthorne, the robber kept his face covered.

Two men in luxury cars were targeted by robbers at the Fashion Island mall and one sustained minor injuries when he sped away, police said.

One of the robbers ordered her 80-year-old husband out of bed, pressed a gun into his back and demanded cash, checkbooks, credit cards and the couple’s PINs, she said.

He loved “the game of cops and robbers,” he recounted, and became an expert prevaricator.

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More About Robber

What does robber mean?

A robber is a person who robs—steals, especially by force or through threats of violence.

In other words, a robber is someone who commits robbery.

A robber can rob a person or a place, such as a house or business. A robber who robs a person on the street is often called a mugger. A person who robs a bank is called a bank robber and the act of doing this is called bank robbery. An armed robber is a person who commits armed robbery, which involves robbing a person or place while armed with a weapon.

A robber is a kind of thief, which is a person who steals things. However, the word thief usually refers to a person who steals without anyone noticing, at least not when the theft is taking place. In contrast, a person who steals by using force, violence, or threats of force or violence would more likely be called a robber.

The word rob can also be used in a kind of figurative way meaning to unfairly deprive someone of something, but robber is only used to refer to someone who robs in the literal sense.

Example: Police have released sketches of the suspects in the hopes that someone can identify the bank robbers.

Where does robber come from?

The first records of the word robber come from the 1100s. It comes from the Old French robere.

The word robber is perhaps most commonly used in the term bank robber. That’s probably because money is the most popular thing to steal, and the bank is where the money is.

The word robber appears in the term robber baron, which was a label applied to the powerful industrialists in the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s who amassed huge fortunes by exploiting workers and natural resources while relying on corruption and other unethical means to stay powerful (the term is still relevant).

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to robber?

What are some words that share a root or word element with robber

What are some words that often get used in discussing robber?

 

How is robber used in real life?

You’re most likely to encounter the word robber in news reports about robberies.

 

 

Try using robber!

Is robber used correctly in the following sentence? 

The movie is about a gang of robbers who terrorize a small town.

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