heist

1 of 2

verb

heisted; heisting; heists

transitive verb

1
chiefly dialectal : hoist
2
a
: to commit armed robbery on

heist

2 of 2

noun

: armed robbery : holdup
also : 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
Plus, the Wall Street Journal told us to save money by skipping breakfast, and a man in the UK heisted thousands of dollars worth of Cadbury Creme Eggs. Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 17 Feb. 2023 Shohei Ohtani is the greatest player on the planet, scarcely pausing to heist that title from teammate Mike Trout. Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2022 The movie chronicles the red sanders heist in the hills of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2021 How can attempting to heist a sequence of legendary, impossible-to-crack safes across Europe not be fun? Lisa Respers France, CNN, 30 Oct. 2021 Dieter is brought in to help heist a sequence of legendary, impossible-to-crack safes across Europe. Nick Romano, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2021 The initial part of the chase — where Washington Protagonist and his partner, Neil, played by Robert Pattinson, heist an object from a moving truck — was rehearsed and filmed as a complete sequence. Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2020 McGrady and Lakers executive Jerry West, who heisted Bryant from the Hornets during the 1996 NBA Draft, checked in via video. Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Jan. 2020 And two, how does one go about heisting the world’s largest land animal? Paul Kvinta, Outside Online, 12 Nov. 2019
Noun
Instead, carjackings rose to 140 incidents in July of 2023 – more heists than had happened during the prior three Julys. USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024 The movie, which grossed more than $626 million worldwide, per Deadline, marked a transition in the series from a focus on street racing to action and heists. Adam England, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 Much of the action is filmed on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment under the apartheid regime, and — in the spirit of any good heist — brings back the cast and production team behind the first film. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024 Much of what happened is evident on surveillance video that Waukesha police released Thursday as the investigation continues into a Feb. 18 burglary and heist that totaled more than $583,000. Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 An interactive YouTube movie where viewers make choices to guide Markiplier through a series of heists and adventures, leading to multiple possible outcomes. Adam Wescott, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 The Fort Worth Police Department is looking for a man between 18-24 years old, who was wearing a gray hoodie and a black beanie at the time of the heist. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2024 But the distraction also provides the perfect cover for a bank heist. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024 Surfing leads the adrenaline junkie to bank heists, and onward to free-falling, kidnapping, and bigger waves. Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of heist was in 1865

Dictionary Entries Near heist

Cite this Entry

“Heist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heist. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

heist

noun
ˈhīst
: armed robbery
also : theft
Etymology

Noun

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

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