robbery
B2Neutral to Formal. It's the standard legal and journalistic term for the crime.
Definition
Meaning
The crime of taking property from a person or place by force or threat of force.
Any act that is perceived as unfairly or dishonestly taking something from someone, especially involving a great difference in value or price (e.g., 'The ticket price was daylight robbery').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Legally distinct from 'theft' or 'burglary'. Robbery specifically involves the use or threat of force against a person. Burglary involves illegally entering a building to commit a crime. Theft is the general act of stealing.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The core legal definition is identical. The informal idiom 'daylight robbery' is more common in British English.
Connotations
Identical strong connotations of a serious, violent crime.
Frequency
Equally common and standard in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
robbery of [place/person]robbery at [location]robbery involving [weapon/act]charged with robberyVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “daylight robbery (outrageously high price)”
- “highway robbery (same as daylight robbery)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Informal: 'The service fee is absolute robbery.'
Academic
Legal/Criminological studies: 'The study analysed socioeconomic factors correlating with robbery rates.'
Everyday
Discussing news: 'Did you hear about the robbery at the post office?'
Technical
Legal charge: 'The suspect is facing charges of aggravated robbery.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The gang planned to rob the security van.
- He was robbed at knifepoint.
American English
- They tried to rob the convenience store.
- He felt robbed of his victory by the referee's call.
adverb
British English
- This is robbery expensive! (very informal)
- N/A (no standard adverbial form)
American English
- That's robbery high! (very informal)
- N/A (no standard adverbial form)
adjective
British English
- The robbery attempt was foiled by police.
- She was a victim of a robbery incident.
American English
- The robbery suspect was apprehended.
- He had a long robbery record.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The robbery was in the newspaper.
- Police are looking for the robbery man.
- There was an armed robbery at the bank yesterday.
- The price of that sandwich is daylight robbery!
- He was sentenced to ten years for a series of violent robberies.
- The film is a heist movie about a daring gold robbery.
- The legal distinction between robbery and burglary hinges on the use of force or threat against a person.
- The politician accused the privatisation scheme of being an economic robbery of public assets.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Remember the 'B' in robbery stands for 'By force'. A ROBBer takes things BY force.
Conceptual Metaphor
TAKING IS STEALING (e.g., 'That exam robbed me of my weekend'); HIGH PRICES ARE A CRIME ('daylight robbery').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'грабёж' which is a closer match, vs. 'кража' which is theft/larceny.
- The verb 'to rob' requires the victim (person/place) as the object: 'rob a bank', not 'rob money'. For the item stolen, use 'steal': 'steal money'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'He robbed a million pounds.' Correct: 'He stole a million pounds.' or 'He robbed a bank of a million pounds.'
- Incorrect: 'There was a robbery in my house last night.' (If no one was confronted, it's a burglary).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following scenarios best describes a 'robbery'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Robbery involves force or threat against a person. Burglary involves illegally entering a building (which may be empty) to commit a crime like theft.
Yes, informally. Phrases like 'daylight robbery' criticise prices that are perceived as unfairly high, metaphorically comparing them to a crime.
Mugging is a specific type of robbery that typically occurs in a public place and often involves sudden attack or threat to a single person.
You rob a person or a place (e.g., bank, shop). You steal the things that are taken (money, jewels). Correct: 'They robbed the museum and stole priceless paintings.'
Collections
Part of a collection
Crime and Justice
B1 · 46 words · Vocabulary for law, crime and the justice system.