Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| abactor | a cattle-thief. [L. ab + agere, to drive]. |
| abetter abettor | one who ABETS a crime. |
| affrayer | a disturber of the peace. |
| algerine | a pirate. |
| apache | a member of the French underworld. |
| arsonist arsonite | one who commits arson. |
| assassin | a murderer. |
| backstall | a garrotter's confederate, on the lookout behind; (verb) of a kite, to lose power and begin to drop in low winds > BACKSTALLING, BACKSTALLED. |
| bandit | a robber > BANDITS or BANDITTI. |
| bandito | a Mexican bandit > BANDITOS. |
| banditti | a gang of Italian bandits > BANDITTIS. |
| bandolero | a highwayman > BANDOLEROS. |
| bankster | a banker or investor whose activites have been exposed as illegal. |
| bigamist | one who commits bigamy. |
| biopirate | one who practises BIOPIRACY. |
| blackmailer | one who commits blackmail. |
| blagger | one who BLAGS, a thief. |
| boobhead | a repeat offender in prison. |
| bootlegger | one who supplies e.g. illicit whisky. |
| brigand | a bandit. |
| bullyboy | a ruffian hired to beat or intimidate someone. |
| burglar | one who commits burglary; (verb) to burgle > BURGLARS, BURGLARING, BURGLARED. |
| burker burkite | one that BURKES, murders by suffocation. |
| bushranger | in Australia, a lawless person, often an escaped criminal, who takes to the bush and lives by robbery. |
| camorra | a secret society akin to the Mafia operating in the Neapolitan district; gen. any organized body engaged in extortion or other dishonest activities. |
| camorrist | a member of a CAMORRA. |
| camorrista | a member of a CAMORRA > CAMORRISTI. |
| carjacker | one who steals cars by holding up their owners and demanding the keys. |
| catnaper catnapper | one that steals cats, usu. to sell them for research. |
| colluder | one who conspires in a fraud. |
| conman | a male confidence trickster. |
| contemner contemnor | a person who contemns; a person who has been found guilty of contempt of court. |
| convict | one convicted of a crime; a person serving a prison sentence; (verb) to find guilty of a crime. |
| conwoman | a female confidence trickster. |
| coprisoner | a fellow-prisoner. |
| corsair | a privateersman of the Mediterranean, esp. the Barbary coast. |
| cracksman | a safe-breaker. |
| crim | a criminal. |
| criminal | one who has committed a crime. |
| cutpurse | a person who stole by slitting purses worn at the belt. |
| cutthroat | a murderer, an assassin. |
| dacoit dakoit | an Indian bandit. |
| delinquent | failing in duty; of or concerning a bad debt or debtor > DELINQUENTLY; (noun) an offender, esp a young criminal > DELINQUENTS. |
| desperado | a desperate fellow, an outlaw > DESPERADOES or DESPERADOS. |
| dognaper dognapper | one who DOGNAPS, abducts a dog. |
| druglord | a criminal controlling the supply of drugs. |
| dynamiter | one who uses dynamite; esp., one who uses it for the destruction of life and property. |
| embezzler | one who embezzles. |
| embraceor embracer embrasor | a person who seeks to influence jurors by corrupt means to deliver a partial verdict. |
| escapado | an escaped evil-doer; an escapade > ESCAPADOES or ESCAPADOS.TR> |
| escroc | a swindler. |
| fagin | an adult who instructs others in crime. |
| faitor faitour | an impostor. |
| felon | a person who has committed a felony. |
| felonious | like a felon, wicked > FELONIOUSLY. |
| felonous | like a felon, wicked. |
| felonry | a body of felons. |
| filcher | one who filches; a thief. |
| firebug | an arsonist. |
| flyboy | a spiv, a conman. |
| footpad | a highwayman or robber on foot. |
| forcat | a convict condemned to hard labour. |
| forger | one that commits forgery. |
| fraudsman fraudster | a person involved in criminal fraud. |
| freebooter | a person who roves about freely in search of booty, a pirate. |
| (Yiddish) ganef, ganof, gonef, gonif, goniff, gonof, gonoph | a thief. |
| gangland | the criminal underworld. |
| gangster | a member of a criminal gang. |
| ganof | see GANEF. |
| gaolbird | an inveterate convict. |
| garotter garroter garrotter | one who garrotes. |
| gonef | see GANEF. |
| gonif | see GANEF. |
| goniff | see GANEF. |
| gonof | see GANEF. |
| gonoph | see GANEF. |
| goodfella | a gangster, esp a member of the Mafia. |
| goombah | someone who belongs to a criminal gang, esp the Mafia. |
| graverobber | one who robs graves. |
| heister | one who HEISTS, carries out armed hold-ups. |
| highjacker hijacker | one that hijacks. |
| highwayman | a thief who robs travellers on a road. |
| hitman | a hired assassin. |
| hood hoodlum | a small-time criminal or gangster. |
| hoody | resembling a hoodlum > HOODIER, HOODIEST. |
| hoser | a person who deceives or swindles others. |
| housebreaker | a person who breaks into and enters a house for the purpose of stealing. |
| huaquero | an Latin America, a person who steals antiquities and relics from tombs > HUAQUEROS. |
| iceman | a jewel thief; a professional hitman. |
| imposter impostor | someone who assumes a false character or impersonates another. |
| incendiary | a person who maliciously sets fire to property. |
| jailbird | a CONVICT. |
| joyrider | one who JOYRIDES. |
| kidnaper kidnapper | one who kidnaps. |
| kiter | one that KITES, obtains money fraudulently. |
| klepht | a (Greek) brigand. [Mod. Gr. klephtes, from Gk. kleptes, thief]. |
| klephtic | of or like a KLEPHT. |
| knuckler | a PICKPOCKET. |
| kondo | in Uganda, a thief or armed robber > KONDOS. |
| ladron ladrone latron | a robber; a pirate; hence, loosely, a rogue or rascal. |
| lamister lamster | a fugitive esp. from the law. |
| larcener larcenist | one who commits larceny. |
| latron | see LADRON. |
| lawbreaker | a person who violates the law. |
| lifer | a CONVICT serving life. |
| limmer | a rogue or thief; a hussy. |
| lyncher | one who takes part in a lynching. |
| maffia mafia | a criminal society > MAFIAS. |
| mafioso | a member of a MAFIA > MAFIOSI or MAFIOSOS. |
| magsman | a conman, a street swindler. |
| malefactor | an evil doer; a criminal. |
| malfeasant | (one who is) doing wrong > MALFEASANTS. |
| manslayer | a member of a mara in the US or Central America. |
| marero | a person who kills a man. |
| massacrer | one who massacres. |
| miquelet | an irregular or partisan soldier; a bandit. |
| miscreant | a wrongdoer, a criminal. |
| misdoer | a wrongdoer. |
| misfeasor | one who commits a MISFEASANCE, the doing of a lawful act in a wrongful manner, as distinguished from malfeasance. |
| mobsman mobster | a member of an organised criminal gang. |
| moonshiner | a person engaged in illicit distilling; -- so called because the work is largely done at night. |
| mugger | one who attacks with the intention of robbing. |
| murderer | one that murders. |
| murderess | a female MURDERER. |
| murtherer | a murderer. |
| nightrider | a member of a secret band of white men who carried out lynchings in the southern USA. |
| nimmer | a thief. |
| nobbler | one who nobbles i.e. injures or drugs a racehorse to prevent it from winning. |
| nonce | a sex offender, esp. one convicted of assaulting children. |
| outlaw | someone on the run from the law; (verb) to prohibit. |
| peculator | one who peculates. |
| pentito | in Italy, a Mafia criminal who has become a police informer > PENTITI. |
| perjurer | one who commits perjury. |
| perp | one who has committed a crime. |
| peterman | a safe-blower. |
| petnaper petnapper | one who kidnaps pets. |
| petroleur | a rioter who uses petroleum, as in the Paris uprising of 1871. |
| phansigar | formerly in India, a THUG. |
| pickpocket | a thief who picks pockets; (verb) to pick pockets. |
| pilferer | one who pilfers. |
| pirate | a person who, without authority, attempts to capture ships at sea; (verb) to commit piracy. |
| piratic piratical | of or pertaining to a pirate > PIRATICALLY. |
| poacher | one that poaches, steals game. |
| prigger | one who PRIGS, a thief. |
| purloiner | one who purloins. |
| racketeer | a criminal who runs a protection racket; (verb) to run a protection racket. |
| ramper rampsman | one who makes a disturbance to cover the activities of others. |
| raper rapist | one who commits rape. |
| recidivist | a habitual criminal. |
| renegado | a renegade > RENEGADOS or RENEGADOES. |
| resurrectionist | a person who steals bodies from the grave for dissection. |
| rickburner | an arsonist who sets fire to hayricks. |
| robber | one that robs. |
| roberdsman robertsman | a bold, stout robber, or night thief; -- said to be so called from Robin Hood. |
| ruffian | a brutal, violent person > RUFFIANLY; (verb) to behave like a ruffian. |
| rumrunner | a person involved in smuggling alcohol into the US during Prohibition. |
| rustler | one who steals cattle. |
| safecracker | one that breaks open safes to steal. |
| scelerat scelerate | a villain. |
| shoplifter | one who shoplifts, steals from shops. |
| sicario | a hired gunman, esp. in Latin America. |
| skollie skolly | a young hooligan or gang member of Coloured race. |
| skyjacker | one who SKYJACKS, hijacks an aeroplane. |
| smuggler | one that smuggles. |
| snakehead | a Chinese criminal involving the transport of criminals to other parts of the world. |
| sokaiya | in Japan, a corporate racketeer > SOKAIYA. No —S. [Japanese sokai, meeting + ya, dealer]. |
| staffrider | in S. Africa, a person who illegally rides on the outside of a suburban train. |
| stealer | one who steals. |
| suborner | one who suborns, bribes a jury. |
| swagsman | a swagman; a burglar's accomplice who carries the plunder. |
| terrorist | one who engages in TERRORISM > TERRORISTS. |
| thief | one that steals > THIEVES. |
| thieflike | like a thief. |
| thievish | given to stealing. |
| thug | a brutal ruffian or assassin. |
| thuggish | characteristic of a THUG. |
| thuggo | a thug, ruffian > THUGGOS. |
| tongman tongster | a member of a Chinese TONG or criminal society. |
| tortfeasor | a person guilty of TORT, a wrongful act, damage, or injury done willfully. |
| trailbaston | a ruffian or brigand in 14th century England. |
| traitor | one who betrays another. |
| traitorly | like a TRAITOR; traitorous. |
| traitress | a female TRAITOR. |
| triggerman | a gangster's bodyguard. |
| turncoat | a traitor. |
| twoccer twocker | a person who takes a car without the owner's consent. |
| vandal | one who wilfully destroys or defaces property. |
| venomer | a poisoner. |
| villain | a criminal, bad person. |
| villainous | like a VILLAIN > VILLAINOUSLY. |
| villan | a villain. |
| villanous | villainous > VILLANOUSLY. |
| waghalter | a felon likely to swing from the gallows. |
| welcher welsher | one who welches or welshes, absconds from a debt. |
| whizzer | something that whizzes; (slang) a pickpocket. |
| wrongdoer | one who does wrong. |
| yakuza | a Japanese gangster. No —S. |
| yardbird | a convict. |
| yegg yeggman | a criminal, esp. a safecracker or burglar. |