1. thieves who steal by cutting purses or pockets; pickpockets
Usage: archaic; historical

Examples

• Medieval cutpurses would slice through the strings that held money pouches to people’s belts.
• The crowded marketplace was known to attract cutpurses and other petty criminals.
• Shakespeare’s plays often featured cutpurses as comic characters.
• Travelers were warned to beware of cutpurses in the busy port cities.
• The term cutpurses comes from the practice of literally cutting purse strings to steal money.
• Historical records show that cutpurses were a common problem in London’s streets.