A thief who steals a handbag from the person carrying it.
Example sentencesExamples
When residents of a Malaysian town chased a purse-snatcher, they were shocked to find out the culprit was actually a cop.
Pickpockets and purse snatchers are common all over Cairo.
The carnival regularly attracts armies of purse snatchers and pickpockets who find easy prey among the revellers.
I once chased a purse snatcher through Central Park, warning I'd cut him with a knife I didn't have.
An alleged purse-snatcher led police on a chase through Dorchester yesterday before smashing the truck he was driving into a police cruiser.
He was a boyhood thief, a purse-snatcher and reform-school inmate.
In these crowded public spaces, however, pickpockets, purse-snatchers and con-artists are common.
Four cops were injured after chasing three teenage purse-snatchers who had attacked and robbed a pair of Spanish tourists in Central Park.
A purse snatcher in Long Island City started taking off his clothes as he yelled and cursed at arriving cops.
Remember to protect yourself against purse-snatchers and pickpockets.
The crush of tourists who each year flood into Rio for Carnival are seen as easy pickings by the city's purse-snatchers and pickpockets.
We have watched him before on the CCTV and we believed he was a purse snatcher.
The increased number of volunteers we have working in the area this year seems to have acted as a deterrent to many a would-be purse snatcher or pickpocket.
A ghoulish purse-snatcher committed numerous grave offenses at Staten Island funeral homes by posing as a mourner and making off with grieving relatives' belongings.
A well-dressed, well-coiffed daytime purse-snatcher has been targeting unsuspecting women as they lunch at Midtown tourist spots.
With so many people pressed together in metro stations, there's always the chance that a pickpocket or purse-snatcher is looking for a potential victim.
Shoppers must be on their guard after purse snatchers struck in Clacton and Jaywick.
A purse snatcher was busted in Greenwich Village after he shoved a woman head first into a metal scaffold.
The brave shopper suffered a four-inch cut across his lip and chin during a violent struggle with a purse-snatcher.
How far would you go to fight a purse-snatcher?
Synonyms
thief, petty thief, sneak thief
Definition of purse-snatcher in US English:
purse-snatcher
noun
North American
A thief who steals a handbag from the person carrying it.
Example sentencesExamples
A ghoulish purse-snatcher committed numerous grave offenses at Staten Island funeral homes by posing as a mourner and making off with grieving relatives' belongings.
With so many people pressed together in metro stations, there's always the chance that a pickpocket or purse-snatcher is looking for a potential victim.
How far would you go to fight a purse-snatcher?
The carnival regularly attracts armies of purse snatchers and pickpockets who find easy prey among the revellers.
When residents of a Malaysian town chased a purse-snatcher, they were shocked to find out the culprit was actually a cop.
Four cops were injured after chasing three teenage purse-snatchers who had attacked and robbed a pair of Spanish tourists in Central Park.
A purse snatcher was busted in Greenwich Village after he shoved a woman head first into a metal scaffold.
In these crowded public spaces, however, pickpockets, purse-snatchers and con-artists are common.
A purse snatcher in Long Island City started taking off his clothes as he yelled and cursed at arriving cops.
The brave shopper suffered a four-inch cut across his lip and chin during a violent struggle with a purse-snatcher.
Remember to protect yourself against purse-snatchers and pickpockets.
I once chased a purse snatcher through Central Park, warning I'd cut him with a knife I didn't have.
The increased number of volunteers we have working in the area this year seems to have acted as a deterrent to many a would-be purse snatcher or pickpocket.
The crush of tourists who each year flood into Rio for Carnival are seen as easy pickings by the city's purse-snatchers and pickpockets.
Pickpockets and purse snatchers are common all over Cairo.
He was a boyhood thief, a purse-snatcher and reform-school inmate.
Shoppers must be on their guard after purse snatchers struck in Clacton and Jaywick.
We have watched him before on the CCTV and we believed he was a purse snatcher.
An alleged purse-snatcher led police on a chase through Dorchester yesterday before smashing the truck he was driving into a police cruiser.
A well-dressed, well-coiffed daytime purse-snatcher has been targeting unsuspecting women as they lunch at Midtown tourist spots.