Inklingo

How to Say "heist" in Spanish

The Spanish word forheistis atracoB1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishB1

atraco

nounB1
a large-scale or planned robbery, like a bank heist
A masked figure running away with a bag of money marked with a currency symbol.

Examples

La policía llegó cinco minutos después del atraco al banco.

The police arrived five minutes after the bank robbery.

Fue un atraco a mano armada, pero afortunadamente nadie salió herido.

It was an armed robbery, but fortunately no one was hurt.

Atraco vs. Robo

While both mean stealing, 'atraco' almost always implies that the victim was present and threatened with force. A 'robo' can be someone stealing your wallet while you aren't looking.

Using it as a verb

Mistake:Yo atraco la tienda.

Correction: Yo atraco is technically the 'I' form of the verb, but usually people mean the noun. To say 'The robbery,' use 'El atraco.'

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.