— stealable , adj. — stealer , n.
/steel/ , v. , stole, stolen, stealing , n.
v.t.
1. to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, esp. secretly or by force: A pickpocket stole his watch.
2. to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment.
3. to take, get, or win insidiously, surreptitiously, subtly, or by chance: He stole my girlfriend.
4. to move, bring, convey, or put secretly or quietly; smuggle (usually fol. by away, from, in, into, etc.): They stole the bicycle into the bedroom to surprise the child.
5. Baseball. (of a base runner) to gain (a base) without the help of a walk or batted ball, as by running to it during the delivery of a pitch.
6. Games. to gain (a point, advantage, etc.) by strategy, chance, or luck.
7. to gain or seize more than one's share of attention in, as by giving a superior performance: The comedian stole the show.
v.i.
8. to commit or practice theft.
9. to move, go, or come secretly, quietly, or unobserved: She stole out of the house at midnight.
10. to pass, happen, etc., imperceptibly, gently, or gradually: The years steal by.
11. Baseball. (of a base runner) to advance a base without the help of a walk or batted ball.
12. steal someone's thunder , to appropriate or use another's idea, plan, words, etc.
n.
13. Informal. an act of stealing; theft.
14. Informal. the thing stolen; booty.
15. Informal. something acquired at a cost far below its real value; bargain: This dress is a steal at $40.
16. Baseball. the act of advancing a base by stealing.
[ bef. 900; 1860-65 for def. 5; ME stelen, OE stelan; c. G stehlen, ON stela, Goth stilan ]