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

Differences between:
ROBBER, BURGLAR, MUGGER, PICKPOCKET & THIEF?

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".

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 sth", which is more common in British English and "to burglarize sth", 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 sb" 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 sb" 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 wiht/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 sb" 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 sth from sb".

Sources

• https://polyglotclub.com/language/english/question/28333

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