heist 1 of 2

noun

Definition of heistnext
as in theft
an instance of theft it was the largest jewelry heist in the city's history

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

heist

2 of 2

verb

ˈhīst How to pronounce heist (audio)
as in to steal
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep a professional burglar was able to heist a box of jewelry from the safe in the closet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heist
Noun
The November theft was the type railyards had experienced dozens of times over the past few years, but this time, AI-powered cameras were being used to watch the heist. — Kiel Porter, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026 Several officials, including Caruso, suggested that the heist could have been carried out by professionals or on commission for the black market, although the prosecutor’s office have not confirmed any theories. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
And Bannon got directly to business, spinning a tale to his viewers of Democrats plotting to heist the 2024 election. — Tess Owen, WIRED, 29 Oct. 2024 Nesbit scoffs at the proposal, citing the difficulties of heisting perhaps a metric tonne of nuclear material. — IEEE Spectrum, 18 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for heist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heist
  1. theft
  2. steal
Noun
  • A Little Rock police incident report lists Shelton as a suspect in the theft of mail from the post office at 7401 Colonel Glenn Road, where a blue postal collection box had been broken into early Friday.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Other deportees had convictions or arrests involving violent assault, domestic violence, drugs, burglary and theft, weapons offense alien smuggling and other crimes.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of theft
Verb
  • In 1950, just before the LSU-Tulane game, Brown said a Tulane student, Norbert James, and his buddy stole LSU’s Mike the Tiger the night before their football game.
    — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The nectar contains grayanotoxin, a chemical the plant likely evolved to deter insects that steal nectar without pollinating the flower.
    — Prayan Pokharel, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of steal

Browse Nearby Words

heirs at law
heist
heisted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heist. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All