Meanings
nounrobber (plural robbers)
plural robbers
- crimeA person who robs.
- An animal who robs.
I remember as a boy in my native land the bad name the common magpie (Pica caudata) had as a destroyer of chickens, and a robber of nests.
1907, Frederick William D'Evelyn, “Slaughter of Blue Jays”, in The Condor, volume 9, number 2
Synonyms & antonyms
Broader
Narrower
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*Hrew-?
- Proto-Indo-European*Hrewp-
- Proto-Germanic*raubōną
- Frankish*raubōn
- Late Latinraubāre
- Old Frenchrober
- Old Frenchrobeor
- Middle Englishrobbour
- Englishrobber
Inherited from Middle English robbour, robbere, either directly taken from or from a calque of Old French robeor. Equivalent to rob + -er. Compare reaver (“robber, plunderer”), a native English word derived from Proto-Germanic *raubārijaz that is ultimately of more or less the same composition as robber. And compare rover (“a pirate”), another word of the same composition.
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek λῃστής, κιξάλλης
- λῃστής (lēistḗs)one who robs
- κιξάλλης (kixállēs)one who robs
Arabic سَارِق, سَارِقَة
- سَارِق (sāriq)one who robs
- سَارِقَة (sāriqa)one who robs
- لِصّ (liṣṣ)one who robs
- لِصَّة (liṣṣa)one who robs
Bengali ডাকাত
- ডাকাত (ḍakat)one who robs
Bulgarian разбо́йник, разбо́йничка
- разбо́йник (razbójnik)one who robs
- разбо́йничка (razbójnička)one who robs
- разбо́йница (razbójnica)one who robs
Catalan lladre
- lladreone who robs
Chinese Mandarin 強盜 /强盗, 盜賊 /盗贼
- 強盜 /强盗 (qiángdào)one who robs
- 盜賊 /盗贼 (dàozéi)one who robs
- 搶匪 /抢匪 (qiǎngfěi)one who robs
Czech zloděj, zlodějka
- zlodějone who robs
- zlodějkaone who robs
- lupičone who robs
- lupičkaone who robs
Danish røver
- røverone who robs
Dutch rover
- roverone who robs
Esperanto rabisto
- rabistoone who robs
Estonian röövel
- röövelone who robs
Finnish ryöstäjä, ryöväri
- ryöstäjäone who robs
- ryövärione who robs
French brigand, bandit
- brigandone who robs
- banditone who robs
- braqueurone who robs
German Räuber, Räuberin
- Räuberone who robs
- Räuberinone who robs
Greek ληστής
- ληστής (listís)one who robs
Hebrew שׁוֹדֵד
- שׁוֹדֵד (shodéd)one who robs
Hindi डाकू, डकैत
- डाकू (ḍākū)one who robs
- डकैत (ḍakait)one who robs
- लुटेरा (luṭerā)one who robs
- राहज़न (rāhzan)one who robs
- राहजन (rāhjan)one who robs
- ग़ारत-गर (ġārat-gar)one who robs
- दुज़्द (duzd)one who robs
- दुज्द (dujd)one who robs
- सारिक़ (sāriq)one who robs
- सारिक (sārik)one who robs
Hungarian rabló
- rablóone who robs
Icelandic ræningi
- ræningione who robs
Indonesian perampok, begal
- perampokone who robs
- begalone who robs
Irish ropaire, robálaí
- ropaireone who robs
- robálaíone who robs
- gadaíone who robs
Italian rapinatore, ladro
- rapinatoreone who robs
- ladroone who robs
- ladroneone who robs
Japanese 盗賊, 強盗
- 盗賊 (tōzoku)one who robs
- 強盗 (gōtō)one who robs
Korean 강도
- 강도 (gangdo)one who robs
Latin lātrō, lātrunculus
- lātrōone who robs
- lātrunculusone who robs
- latronculaone who robs
Latvian laupītājs
- laupītājsone who robs
Lithuanian plėšikas
- plėšikasone who robs
Malay perompak
- perompakone who robs
Māori māhurehure, keiā
- māhurehureone who robs
- keiāone who robs
- kaiāone who robs
- whānakoone who robs
- tāhaeone who robs
Norwegian Bokmål raner, røver
- ranerone who robs
- røverone who robs
Polish złodziej, złodziejka
- złodziejone who robs
- złodziejkaone who robs
- rozbójnikone who robs
- rozbójniczkaone who robs
Portuguese ladrão, ladra
- ladrãoone who robs
- ladraone who robs
Romanian jefuitor, tâlhar
- jefuitorone who robs
- tâlharone who robs
Russian граби́тель, граби́тельница
- граби́тель (grabítelʹ)one who robs
- граби́тельница (grabítelʹnica)one who robs
- разбо́йник (razbójnik)one who robs
- разбо́йница (razbójnica)one who robs
Slovak zlodej, zlodejka
- zlodejone who robs
- zlodejkaone who robs
- lupičone who robs
- lupičkaone who robs
Spanish ladrón, ladrona
- ladrónone who robs
- ladronaone who robs
- chorione who robs
- shacadorone who robs
Swahili mnyang'anyi, mporaji
- mnyang'anyione who robs
- mporajione who robs
Swedish rånare, rövare
- rånareone who robs
- rövareone who robs
Thai โม่ง, โจร
- โม่ง (môong)one who robs
- โจร (joon)one who robs
Turkish soyguncu, harami
- soyguncuone who robs
- haramione who robs
- hırsızone who robs
Ukrainian розбі́йник, розбі́йниця
- розбі́йник (rozbíjnyk)one who robs
- розбі́йниця (rozbíjnycja)one who robs
Urdu ڈاکُو, ڈَکَیت
- ڈاکُو (ḍākū)one who robs
- ڈَکَیت (ḍakait)one who robs
- غارَت گَر (ġārat gar)one who robs
- لُٹیرا (luṭerā)one who robs
- راہْزَن (rāhzan)one who robs
- رَہْزَن (rahzan)one who robs
- دُزْد (duzd)one who robs
- سارِق (sāriq)one who robs
- حَرامی (harāmī)one who robs
Vietnamese kẻ cướp, kẻ ăn cướp
- kẻ cướpone who robs
- kẻ ăn cướpone who robs
- cường đạoone who robs
Welsh lleidr
- lleidrone who robs
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with robber
clobberjobberbobberslobbercobberthrobberbeslobberblobberflobberhobberlobbermobbermud dauberodd-jobber
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
robber. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/robber
MLA
“robber.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/robber. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “robber,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/robber.
Source: robber on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.