Regulars means: A thief's share in the stolen money or goods.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
regulars
(UK, thieves, obsolete) A thief's share in the stolen money or goods.
Seen in the wild
Nouveau Café welcomes back on of its recent new regulars! While the city has been having a bit of a Mega Energy outbreak, I'm sure nothing like that will happen here while you enjoy your hot cup of coffee!
I have a pair that are regulars at the bird feeder and all the smaller birds CLEAR THE WAY for them, the obvious 10s of the bird world.
Having been to a few now I can't say I know all the regulars, but I've already got to know enough people there will be someone I can have a good chat to over a drink.
⭐ Kaj J 🇵🇸🇸🇩🇺🇦: 7 games. The regulars know your name. The bus knows your stop. DM 'stop' to discontinue replies
And late night comedians like Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and regulars/guests at the Daily Show, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers.
Definitions
(UK, thieves, obsolete) A thief's share in the stolen money or goods.
Regulars means: A thief's share in the stolen money or goods.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
regulars means: A thief's share in the stolen money or goods.. Register: archaic, historical. Almost never used today; you will find it only in older texts, dictionaries of dialect, or historical writing. Avoid in active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
“Nouveau Café welcomes back on of its recent new regulars! While the city has been having a bit of a Mega Energy outbreak, I'm sure nothing like that will happen here while you enjoy your hot cup of coffee!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I have a pair that are regulars at the bird feeder and all the smaller birds CLEAR THE WAY for them, the obvious 10s of the bird world.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Having been to a few now I can't say I know all the regulars, but I've already got to know enough people there will be someone I can have a good chat to over a drink.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“⭐ Kaj J 🇵🇸🇸🇩🇺🇦: 7 games. The regulars know your name. The bus knows your stop. DM 'stop' to discontinue replies”
— Bluesky· May 2026“And late night comedians like Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and regulars/guests at the Daily Show, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "regulars" (R)
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- nap the regulars72%
Obsolete British criminal slang from the thieves' cant tradition, meaning to divide the stolen loot among the members of a criminal crew. Nap here means to take or seize, and regulars refers to the established shares owed to each person. Thieves' cant was a deliberate secret language used by criminals, beggars, and traveling people in 17th–19th century Britain to talk openly without being understood by outsiders.
- nap the regulars67%
(UK, slang, obsolete) To divide up the booty.
- ordinary60%
Something ordinary or regular.
- mainor59%
(legal, UK, obsolete) A stolen article found on the person of the thief.
- dog robber59%
(obsolete, derogatory) A contemptible person, especially one who steals scraps of food.