A person who steals money or property, especially by using force or threats of violence.
The shop owner was closing up for the night when two masked men burst through the door. The robbers demanded all the cash from the register and threatened him with a weapon. By the time police arrived, they had already disappeared into the darkness.
This meaning is about someone who takes money or property from a person or place, usually through violence or the threat of it. Imagine watching the evening news and hearing that armed robbers broke into a jewellery store, smashed the display cases, and ran off with everything inside. This is a robber — someone who steals by force. You might hear “the bank robbers escaped in a stolen car” or “police are searching for the robber who held up a convenience store last night.” Or picture a scene where someone on the street grabs a woman’s bag and runs — that person is a robber. The word carries a sense of danger and aggression — this isn’t quiet, sneaky stealing. ✏️ A robber uses force or threats, while a thief steals secretly without being noticed — that’s the key difference between the two words.
Vivid example: The security cameras caught everything on tape. The robber walked in wearing a hood and sunglasses and pointed something at the cashier. Within seconds, he grabbed the money and sprinted out the front door.
Examples from the street:
“The bank robbers got away with over two million in cash.” → The people who held up the bank escaped with a huge amount of money
“They caught the armed robber three blocks from the store.” → Police arrested the weapon-carrying thief a short distance from the shop
“These ticket prices are insane — what a bunch of robbers!” → These prices are outrageously high — they’re basically stealing from us
Robber as a person who steals using force or threat — VERY COMMON:
– bank/train robber → a person who robs a specific place or vehicle
– armed robber → someone who uses a weapon during a robbery
– masked robber → someone wearing a disguise to hide their identity while stealing
– a gang/group of robbers → multiple people committing robbery together
– the robber(s) got away / escaped → the thief or thieves fled successfully
– catch/arrest the robber → apprehend the person who committed the robbery
Robber in figurative and fixed expressions:
– robber baron → a ruthless businessperson who gained wealth through exploitative or unethical practices
– cops and robbers → a children’s game; or a way to describe law enforcement chasing criminals
– call someone a robber → accuse someone of charging unfairly high prices (informal, often humorous)
Example Sentences
1. The bank robbers wore matching masks and escaped in a stolen vehicle before the police arrived
→ The people who held up the financial institution disguised their faces identically and fled in a car that wasn’t theirs before officers got there.
2. An armed robber walked into the jewellery shop and demanded everything in the display cases
→ A weapon-carrying thief entered the jewellery store and ordered the staff to hand over all the items on show.
3. Police are looking for a gang of robbers responsible for at least twelve break-ins this month
→ Officers are searching for a criminal group behind no fewer than twelve forced entries in the past few weeks.
4. The masked robber was caught on CCTV but his face was completely covered
→ The disguised thief was recorded by security cameras, but his features were entirely hidden.
5. Despite a massive manhunt, the robbers got away and have never been identified
→ Even though there was a huge search operation, the thieves escaped and their identities remain unknown.
6. It took detectives three years to finally catch the robber who’d been targeting luxury homes
→ It took investigators three years to eventually arrest the thief who had been breaking into expensive properties.
7. The old robber barons of the nineteenth century built their empires on the backs of underpaid workers
→ The ruthless industrialists of the 1800s created their vast business empires by exploiting labourers who earned very little.
8. My kids love playing cops and robbers in the garden — someone always ends up “in jail”
→ My children enjoy pretending to be police officers and criminals in the back garden — someone always gets “locked up.”
9. Forty pounds for a sandwich and a coffee? These people are absolute robbers!
→ Forty pounds for a roll and a hot drink? These people are completely ripping us off!
10. The train robbers became folk heroes even though they stole millions from the Royal Mail
→ The criminals who raided the postal train became popular legends in spite of taking an enormous sum from the national mail service.
Learner Examples
1. Learning vocabulary without context is like being a robber who steals words but can’t actually use them in conversation
→ Memorising new terms in isolation is like a thief who takes things but has no idea what to do with them when speaking.
2. Some students treat grammar textbooks like robber barons — they grab every rule but never give anything back through real practice
→ Certain learners approach grammar books like greedy collectors — they accumulate all the theory but never return value by actually applying it in genuine communication.
✔ Native usage tips
– “Robber” specifically implies force or threat — in English, a robber takes things directly from people or places using intimidation. A “thief” is the general word for anyone who steals, while a “burglar” breaks into buildings. Mixing these up is a very common learner mistake
– “Mugger” is the street-level version — if someone attacks you in the street and takes your wallet, that person is a mugger, not usually called a robber. “Robber” tends to be used for bigger crimes like banks, shops, or trains
– “Robber baron” is alive and well in modern English — originally describing nineteenth-century American industrialists, this expression is now regularly used for any super-wealthy person seen as exploitative. Tech CEOs and hedge fund managers often get this label in the media
– Calling someone a “robber” for high prices is informal and humorous — saying “these people are robbers” about an expensive restaurant or shop is common in casual speech. It’s exaggeration, not a literal accusation of crime
– British vs American usage — British English tends to favour “robber” in news reporting, while American English uses both “robber” and “holdup man.” The phrase “daylight robbery” (British) and “highway robbery” (American) mean the same thing — being charged an outrageous price
– Don’t confuse the verb forms — “rob” targets a place or person (rob a bank, rob someone), while “steal” targets the object taken (steal money, steal a car). You rob the bank but steal the money. This is one of the trickiest distinctions for learners
✔ Similar expressions / words
– Thief → the general, all-purpose word for someone who steals; doesn’t imply force or confrontation; more neutral and broader than “robber,” which specifically suggests threat or violence
– Burglar → specifically someone who breaks into a building to steal; focuses on unlawful entry rather than confrontation; “burglar” is about the method of getting in, while “robber” is about the face-to-face threat
– Bandit → more dramatic and old-fashioned; often associated with outlaws, Wild West stories, or romanticised criminals; sometimes used humorously today, as in “you little bandit” said affectionately to a cheeky child