smash-and-grab

adjective

chiefly British
—used to describe a robbery that is done by breaking a window of a car, store, etc., and stealing whatever can be taken quickly
a smash-and-grab robbery/thief

Examples of smash-and-grab in a Sentence

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In April, thieves staged a smash-and-grab heist at Elite Sports Cards in Chicago, stealing $100,000 in Pokémon cards, the store owner told ABC Chicago station WLS. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 Chicago police early Thursday were searching for the burglars behind a smash-and-grab at a bar in the Little Italy community. — CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Amid a rash of smash-and-grab burglaries targeting video gambling machines in restaurants, bars and other businesses, suburban law enforcement agencies are teaming up to fight back. — Charles Keeshan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 Less than two weeks ago, a $4 million diamond necklace once owned by Egyptian royalty was taken in a smash-and-grab robbery in Vienna, Austria. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for smash-and-grab

Rhymes for smash-and-grab

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Browse Nearby Words

smashable
smash-and-grab
smashboard signal
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Cite this Entry

“Smash-and-grab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smash-and-grab. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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