mugger

UK: /ˈmʌgə^r/ US: (mug′ər)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

mug•ger¹  (mug′ər), n. 

1. a person who mugs, esp. one who assaults a person in order to rob him or her.

• mug + -er¹ 1860–65, American.

mug•ger²  (mug′ər), n. 

1. Reptiles a broad-snouted crocodile, Crocodylus palustris, of southern Asia, that grows to a length of about 16 ft. (4.88 m).

Also, mug′gar, mug′gur. 

• Hindi magar
• 1835–45

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

mugger / ˈmʌɡə/ noun

1. a person who commits robbery with violence, esp in the street
2. a person who overacts

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

mug /mʌg/   n., v., mugged, mug•ging. 
n. [countable]

1. a rounded drinking cup with a handle:
   a coffee mug.
2. the amount it holds:
   spilled a mug of coffee on the papers.
3. Slang Terms a person's face or mouth:
   Get your ugly mug out of here!

v. 

4. to assault or attack, usually in order to rob:
   [~ + object] He was mugged in a dark street.
5. Slang Terms to make faces:
   [no object] to mug for the camera.

mug•ger, n. [countable]
mug•ging, n. 

[countable] a savage mugging on a dark and deserted street.

[uncountable] a short prison term for mugging.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

mug  (mug), n., v., mugged, mug•ging. 
n. 

1. a drinking cup, usually cylindrical in shape, having a handle, and often of a heavy substance, as earthenware.
2. the quantity it holds.
3. Slang Terms
   • the face.
   • the mouth.
   • an exaggerated facial expression;
     grimace, as in acting.
   • a thug, ruffian, or other criminal.
4. British Terms a gullible person;
   dupe;
   fool.

v.t. 

5. to assault or menace, esp. with the intention of robbery.
6. Slang Terms to photograph (a person), esp. in compliance with an official or legal requirement.

v.i. 

7. Slang Terms to grimace;
   exaggerate a facial expression, as in acting.

• Scandinavian; compare Swedish mugg, Norwegian, Danish mugge drinking cup; sense "face'' apparently transferred from cups adorned with grotesque faces; sense "to assault'' from earlier pugilistic slang "to strike in the face, fight''
• probably 1560–70