Language/English/Vocabulary/Difference-between-ROBBER,-BURGLAR,-MUGGER-and-THIEF

2023-05-11T18:02:06Z

HaydenFireDancer: I updated the shorthand someone put in here to help people understand what is actually being said.

<div class="pg_page_title">Differences between:<br>ROBBER, BURGLAR, MUGGER, PICKPOCKET & THIEF?</div>
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==Introduction==

In English, there are a large number of words to describe someone who steals things from people - particularly relating to the method which these criminals use to take the items. There are five very common words to describe such people: "burglar", "robber", "mugger", "pickpocket" and "thief".

<span link>Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Words-ending-with-the-suffix-less|Words ending with the suffix less]], [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Common-Acronyms-Social-Media-SMS|Common Acronyms Social Media SMS]] & [[Language/English/Vocabulary/“In-the-office”-or-“at-the-office”|“In the office” or “at the office”]].</span>
==Burglar==

Someone who breaks in / forces his/her way into a building so as to steal something. It could be for example a home, office or factory. Usually, there is no intended violence directly towards people. The verb used to describe a burglar in the process of stealing something is "to burgle something", which is more common in British English and "to burglarize something", more seen in American English.

==Robber==

Someone who threatens violence so that he/she can steal something from someone. If the threatened person does not permit the robber to take what the robber wants, then the robber will be violent so that he/she can take what he/she wants from the victim. "to rob someone" is the verb describing a robber "at work".

==Mugger==

Someone who uses violence without any warning to make it possible / easier to steal something from someone. It could be a criminal hitting someone on the head then stealing something from that person. "to mug somebody" is the verb describing the violence and stealing done by a mugger.

==Pickpocket==

Someone who steals from someone’s pocket, coat or bag without that person realising that he/she is having something stolen. The thing stolen is directly from/on the victim, not somewhere else such as on a table. The term "pickpocket" originally comes from describing someone who very quickly and with almost no force pulling something - i.e. "picking" - something from someone's pocket. "to pickpocket somebody" describes stealing by pickpockets.

==Thief==

This is a general term for someone who steals something without threatening violence. Burglars (usually) and pickpockets can also be classified as thieves (the plural of ”thief”). Someone who takes someone’s wallet from a desk by just walking through a door is a thief, but not a pickpocket or a burglar. The verb for this action is "to thieve something from somebody".

==Sources==
* https://polyglotclub.com/language/english/question/28333

==Other Lessons==
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Top-Job-Interview-Questions|Top Job Interview Questions]]
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Números-cardinales-en-inglés|Números cardinales en inglés]]
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Common-Mistakes|Common Mistakes]]
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Give-up-VS-Abandon|Give up VS Abandon]]
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/French-words-used-in-English|French words used in English]]
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Art|Art]]
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Parts-of-the-Body|Parts of the Body]]
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Phrasal-Verbs-UP!|Phrasal Verbs UP!]]
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Almost-and-nearly;-practically|Almost and nearly; practically]]
* [[Language/English/Vocabulary/Common-Acronyms-Social-Media-SMS|Common Acronyms Social Media SMS]]
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Language/English/Vocabulary/Difference-between-ROBBER,-BURGLAR,-MUGGER-and-THIEF