[Vocabulary] Difference between larceny, theft, burglary, robbery, mugging, thievery, filching...

Jojo the Palestinian · Apr 13, 2011

What is the difference between larceny, theft, burglary, robbery, mugging, thievery, filching and heist?

Examples are most appreciated.

5jj · Apr 13, 2011

Have you tried a dictionary? If there is anything in the definitions you don't understand, come back with specific questions.

bhaisahab · Apr 13, 2011

Jojo the Palestinian said:
What is the difference between larceny, theft, burglary, robbery, mugging, thievery, filching and heist?

Examples are most appreciated.

Welcome to the forums. Look up the words in a dictionary, here for example, OneLook Dictionary Search then, if you need further help, post your questions here.

Jojo the Palestinian · Apr 13, 2011

Thanks. I have tried to look them up in a dictionary but I'm not able to differentiate between some of them in use. Can you give me examples please. Also I have some trouble in understanding english to english dictionaries and I rarely find examples in them. That's why I joined this forum.

Thank you.

birdeen's call · Apr 13, 2011

"Larceny" is a very rare word that means theft.

"Theft" means stealing. When you take something that belongs to someone else without their permission, you commit a theft.

"Burglary" is another word for break-in. This is when you enter somebody's house without their permission.

You rob another person when you force that person to give you their property or when you take it by force. For example, when you beat a person and then take their money, that's robbery.

"Mugging" means more or less the same as "robbery". Mugging is always violent, robbing may not be.

"Thievery" and "thieving" are rarer words for theft.

You filch when you take something that has little value and you take it furtively (you try not to be seen).

freezeframe · Apr 14, 2011

birdeen's call said:
"Larceny" is a very rare word that means theft.

"Theft" means stealing. When you take something that belongs to someone else without their permission, you commit a theft.

"Burglary" is another word for break-in. This is when you enter somebody's house without their permission.

You rob another person when you force that person to give you their property or when you take it by force. For example, when you beat a person and then take their money, that's robbery.

"Mugging" means more or less the same as "robbery". Mugging is always violent, robbing may not be.

"Thievery" and "thieving" are rarer words for theft.

You filch when you take something that has little value and you take it furtively (you try not to be seen).

Mugging is something that happens on the street or in a public place. You can get mugged or robbed on the street. You can get robbed but not mugged in your house.

Larceny is a legal term. If you watch a lot of courtroom dramas you'll hear that word a lot.

Robbery does not need to involve violence against someone. You can rob someone's house when they're not at home. Or you can rob a museum.

birdeen's call · Apr 14, 2011

freezeframe said:
Mugging is something that happens on the street or in a public place. You can get mugged or robbed on the street. You can get robbed but not mugged in your house.

I agree. I think mugging is too random to involve a break-in. Would you agree?

Robbery does not need to involve violence against someone. You can rob someone's house when they're not at home. Or you can rob a museum.

That's what I said, isn't it?

Route21 · Apr 14, 2011

Hi Jojo

Following on from birdeen's call, I would have come across the rarer form "thieving" in the context of possibly despicable "petty [i.e. low value] theft" such as:

1. "He was caught red-handed thieving from ..... (a blind man's begging bowl or the [religious service's monetary] offertory plate)".
2. "You can't leave anything lying around when he's there - he's a thieving tyke'! " (others might use different, less socially acceptable, words than "tyke").

Regards
R21
PS for "tyke" see tyke - definition of tyke by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

freezeframe · Apr 14, 2011

birdeen's call said:
I agree. I think mugging is too random to involve a break-in. Would you agree?

Mugging has to be in a public place. That's part of what the word means. Randomness has nothing to do with it.

That's what I said, isn't it?

I don't know. Is it?

Jojo the Palestinian · Apr 16, 2011

Thanks everyone that was very thorough and informative. Examples like these help me better understand the differences and similarities as well.

[Vocabulary] Difference between larceny, theft, burglary, robbery, mugging, thievery, filching...

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