Meanings
plural cutpurses · alternative cut-purse
- A thief who steals from others' purses or pockets in public.
A cutpurse of the empire and the rule
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]1 more example
The Gipsie snap & Pedro are none of Toms Comradoes, yͤ punck I skorne, & yͤ cutpurse sworn & yͤ roring boyes brauadoes
c. 1620, anonymous, “Tom o’ Bedlam’s Song” in Giles Earle his Booke (British Museum, Additional MSS. 24, 665)Synonyms: pickpocket
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA thief who steals from others' purses or pockets in public.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna thief who steals from the pockets or purses of others in public places
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishcutte-purs
- Englishcutpurse
From Middle English cutte-purs; equivalent to cut + purse: originally, purses were worn by a strap at the girdle, which the thief would cut.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek βαλλαντιοτόμος
- βαλλαντιοτόμος (ballantiotómos)a thief who steals from others' purses
Dutch beurzensnijder, zakkenroller
- beurzensnijdera thief who steals from others' purses
- zakkenrollera thief who steals from others' purses
Finnish taskuvaras, laukkuvaras
- taskuvarasa thief who steals from others' purses
- laukkuvarasa thief who steals from others' purses
French voleur à la tire, coupe-bourse
- voleur à la tirea thief who steals from others' purses
- coupe-boursea thief who steals from others' purses
German Taschendieb
- Taschendieba thief who steals from others' purses
Greek πορτοφολάς
- πορτοφολάς (portofolás)a thief who steals from others' purses
Italian tagliaborse, borsaiolo
- tagliaborsea thief who steals from others' purses
- borsaioloa thief who steals from others' purses
Latin manticulātor, sacculārius
- manticulātora thief who steals from others' purses
- sacculāriusa thief who steals from others' purses
Polish kieszonkowiec, doliniarz
- kieszonkowieca thief who steals from others' purses
- doliniarza thief who steals from others' purses
- rzezimieszeka thief who steals from others' purses
- złodziej kieszonkowya thief who steals from others' purses
Russian карма́нник, карма́нный вор
- карма́нник (karmánnik)a thief who steals from others' purses
- карма́нный вор (karmánnyj vor)a thief who steals from others' purses
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
cutpurse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cutpurse
“cutpurse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cutpurse. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cutpurse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cutpurse.
Source: cutpurse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.