From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpickpocketpick‧pock‧et /ˈpɪkˌpɒkɪt $ -ˌpɑːk-/ noun [countable] STEALsomeone who steals things from people’s pockets, especially in a crowd► see thesaurus at thief
Examples from the Corpus
pickpocket• I didn't know that girl was a pickpocket.• They do it all the time, and what a pickpocket does routinely is so much more challenging.• There are a lot of pickpockets in crowded tourist areas, so look after your belongings.• Of course he and the pickpocket were different.• He had beaten the pickpocket to the door.• The gamblers were often accompanied by street performers, vendors, pickpockets, women of ill-repute and down-and-outs of every degree. 