noun
Fagin
FAY-gihn
noun
1
A person who recruits and trains children to commit crimes, profiting from what they steal.
"Police described the gang leader as a modern-day Fagin."
How to Use Fagin
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who exploits children by teaching them to steal or commit crime for his own profit.
Memory tip
Always capitalized when referring directly to the Dickens character; lowercase "a fagin" is used more loosely for the general type.
Trace the full origin ↓Word Forms
Fagins plural
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Police described the gang leader as a modern-day _____.
Etymology
From Fagin, the character who runs a gang of child pickpockets in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist.