heist

1 of 2

verb

ˈhīst 

heisted; heisting; heists

transitive verb

1

chiefly dialectal : hoist

2

a

: to commit armed robbery on

b

: steal sense 1a

heist

2 of 2

noun

: armed robbery : holdup

also : theft

Synonyms

Verb

• appropriate
• boost [slang]
• filch
• hook
• lift
• misappropriate
• nick [British slang]
• nip
• pilfer
• pinch
• pocket
• purloin
• rip off
• snitch
• steal
• swipe
• thieve

Noun

• grab
• pinch
• rip-off
• snatching
• swiping
• theft

Examples of heist in a Sentence

Verb

a professional burglar was able to heist a box of jewelry from the safe in the closet

Noun

it was the largest jewelry heist in the city's history

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

An unusual criminal ring focused entirely on heisting semi-trucks, trailers and dump trucks has been busted in Florida, resulting in $6 million worth of heavy equipment being found, according to investigators. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2025

Organic eggs are $9.99 a dozen and have become so valuable people are stealing them — in Pennsylvania, 100,000 eggs worth $40,000 were heisted just this week, followed by another egg caper in Seattle. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025

Noun

Washington and Lee, 68, teamed up for the fifth time in their careers for Highest 2 Lowest, their first collaboration since 2006's heist thriller Inside Man. —Tommy McArdle, People.com, 19 May 2025

What followed was a surreal black-market boom, a flurry of illicit heists, and the accidental canonization of fast-food pop art. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

variant of hoist entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heist

• diced
• feist
• iced
• lysed
• priced
• sliced
• spiced
• spliced
• triste
• antichrist
• overpriced
• poltergeist

Kids Definition

heist

noun

ˈhīst

: armed robbery

also : theft

Etymology

Noun

from a dialect variant of hoist "an act of hoisting"