A heist is a carefully planned robbery, usually involving a team of people working together to steal something valuable. Think of it as the difference between someone snatching a purse on the street and a group spending months preparing to break into a museum to steal a famous painting.

Heist movies are popular because they show the intricate planning involved: studying guard schedules, practicing with equipment, creating disguises, and timing everything perfectly. In the film Ocean's Eleven, a team attempts an elaborate heist of three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously. The classic The Great Muppet Caper features Kermit and friends trying to recover stolen jewels while getting tangled up in their own bumbling heist.

What makes something a heist rather than just a robbery is the complexity and coordination. A bank heist might involve someone disabling alarms, another person cracking a safe, and a driver waiting outside with an escape vehicle, each person playing their specific role in the plan.

While real heists are serious crimes, the term is often used playfully: “We pulled off quite a heist!” your friend might joke after your group grabbed the last three slices of pizza before anyone else could.