ENGLISH
REFERENCE

cradle robber

idiom
Meaning

A person who marries or becomes romantically involved with someone who is much younger, or who employs or otherwise engages a young person for a purpose inappropriate for his or her age.


Examples
SIMPLE

People often call him a cradle robber because his girlfriend is so young.

CONTEXTUAL

When the fifty-year-old actor started dating a college student, the tabloids immediately labeled him a cradle robber.

COMPLEX

Despite his claims of a deep intellectual connection, his peers whispered that he was nothing more than a cradle robber seeking to recapture his lost youth.

Anchors to
Related idioms4entries
  1. 01

    cat's cradle

    Any complicated structure that appears to be without purpose.

  2. 02

    cradle snatcher

    A person who prefers to date people significantly younger than themselves.

  3. 03

    rob the cradle

    To marry or become romantically involved with a much younger person, especially one from a younger generation.

  4. 04

    robber baron

    Especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries, a business tycoon who had great wealth and influence but whose methods were morally questionable and often unethical.

© 2026 English Reference