They robbed a bank without the guards knowing last night.

[diamondcutter]

They robbed a bank without the guards knowing last night.

(Written by me)

I’d like to know if I used the word “rob” correctly in this context.

 

[probus]

People use rob that way very commonly and therefore it must be considered correct in my opinion.. But in legal usage robbery involves violence or at least the threat of violence, so strictly speaking you can't rob a bank without the guards knowing.

 

[diamondcutter]

Thanks, Probus.

What about using violence to the bank, say, to the door and the safe?

 

[tedmc]

Thanks, Probus.

What about using violence to the bank, say, to the door and the safe?

You can't use violence on objects; you only use it on people. It is a theft if it is done without people knowing.

 

[jutfrank]

You can't use violence on objects; you only use it on people.

I don't go with that at all.

For me, the original sentence is fine. Regardless of any technical legal definition of what robbery involves, it's quite normal to refer to taking items from a place, or from a person without permission as robbery.

 

[Tdol]

And rob is used as a verb here, so I think it's fine- and we call the people bank robbers. Theft and robbery are specific legal terms, but everyday usage is different.

 

[Skrej]

Without getting into all the various legal definitions (which vary by country and in the US, even by state), the crime in the OP was (probably) a burglary. Generally, that's unauthorized entry with intent to steal (or other felony intent).

That being said, I too agree the original sentence is fine. As said, everyday usage is different from legal definitions. Plus we rarely use the verb form 'burgle' anyway, despite it being such a fun word to utter.

 

[probus]

Even more fun than burgle is buttle. That's what a butler does. :-D