Why do I need to know piquer?

Because the informal definition for this word might come in handy when taking crowded public transportation.

What does it mean?

Piquer – roughly pronounced pee-kay – technically means to sting, stab or generally pierce the skin with something sharp.

You probably heard this word quite a lot during the pandemic when people were getting their Covid-19 vaccines, as piqûre is the informal word for injection. This is also the term used for a bee or insect sting.

But piquer has another meaning as well – colloquially, it means to steal or to informally take something, similar to ‘grab’ in English. 

For example, you could use it to tell someone you had your wallet stolen on the train – Il a piqué mon portefeuille / he stole my wallet. A synonym would be voler (formal) or chiper (informal).

There is also another expression – piquer une tête – which refers to ‘plunging head first’ into water or simply taking a dip. 

Use it like this

Il a essayé de me piquer mon téléphone, mais je me suis accrochée pour le garder. – He tried to steal my phone, but I held on to it.

L’abeille m’a piqué pendant que j’étais assis dans le jardin. – The bee stung me while I sat in the garden.