heist
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a crime where people steal a lot of money or valuable items, often from a bank or museum.
a major robbery or burglary, especially one that is carefully planned and targets a financial institution or gallery.
Simple“The thieves planned the diamond heist for months before they finally broke into the vault.”
In context“The museum heist resulted in the loss of three priceless Impressionist paintings, leaving investigators with few clues as to how the security system was bypassed.”
UsageOften used as a compound noun, such as 'bank heist' or 'diamond heist'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a type of movie or book that focuses on a group of people planning a big robbery.
a subgenre of crime fiction or film that focuses on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a major theft.
Simple“Ocean's Eleven is one of the most famous heist movies ever made.”
In context“The director revitalized the heist genre by focusing more on the psychological tension between the criminals than on the technical details of the break-in.”
Synonyms
Probably pronunciation variation of hoist.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.