INDEX:
1. to steal something
2. to steal from a house, shop, or bank
3. to steal from someone in the street
4. to steal money that you have been trusted to look after
5. someone who steals
6. the crime of stealing
7. when someone steals something
8. something that has been stolen
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ TAKE
↑ DISHONEST
↑ CRIME
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1. to steal something
▷ steal /stiːl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to take something that does not belong to you without the owner’s permission in a dishonest or illegal way :
▪ Thousands of cars get stolen every year.
▪ In the end he had to steal in order to survive.
steal from
▪ drug addicts who steal from their friends and families
steal something from
▪ Thieves stole paintings worth $5 million from a Paris art gallery.
have something stolen
▪ It’s strange he should have had so many things stolen in just a week.
get stolen
▪ My grandfather refused to put his money in a bank because he was afraid it would get stolen.
stealing [uncountable noun]
▪ Many people don’t regard cheating on their taxes as stealing.
▷ take /teɪk/ [transitive verb]
to steal something, especially money or things that can be carried away :
▪ Someone has been taking money from the cash box.
▪ The burglars took our TV and stereo, but they didn’t find the jewellery.
▷ nick/pinch /nɪk, pɪntʃ/ [transitive verb] British spoken
to steal something :
▪ I wonder where she got that coat -- do you think she nicked it?
▪ Jimmy was caught pinching money from his mum’s purse.
▷ rip off /ˌrɪp ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb] spoken
to steal something, especially someone’s personal possessions :
rip off something
▪ While I was out, someone went into my hotel room and ripped off the rest of my travelers’ checks.
▷ go off with/walk off with /ˌgəʊ ˈɒf wɪð, ˌwɔːk ˈɒf wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive]
to steal something very easily, by picking it up and walking away with it, usually without anyone noticing :
▪ My bag’s disappeared! That woman must have walked off with it!
▪ Guards in the lobby prevent employees from going off with computers and sensitive documents.
▷ help yourself to /ˌhelp jɔːʳˈself tuː/ [verb phrase] informal
to steal something very easily without anyone trying to stop you :
▪ While no one was looking Louise and Alice helped themselves to some apples and bananas.
▪ Burglars cut through the ceiling and helped themselves to $3.6 million in jewels.
▷ pilfer /ˈpɪlfəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to steal things, especially small things or things you do not think are very valuable :
▪ The farmer caught them pilfering apples from his orchard.
▪ The villagers pilfered stones from ancient ruined cities to build their houses.
pilfering [uncountable noun]
▪ Losses from stores through shoplifting and pilfering amounted to over a billion dollars last year.
▷ swipe /swaɪp/ [transitive verb] informal
to steal something quickly when someone is not looking :
▪ While I was swimming in the river, somebody swiped all my clothes!
▪ I wish I knew who’d swiped my earrings.
▷ snitch /snɪtʃ/ [transitive verb] American informal
to steal something, especially something small and not very valuable :
▪ The supermarket has a problem with kids snitching candy bars off the shelves.
▪ He watched as Grover snitched two packets of sugar from behind the counter.
2. to steal from a house, shop, or bank
▷ rob /rɒbǁrɑːb/ [transitive verb]
to steal money or property from a bank, shop etc, especially by using threats or violence :
▪ He got five years in jail for robbing a gas station.
▪ Two men robbed the Central Bank yesterday, escaping with over $1 million.
▷ burgle /ˈbɜːʳg ə l/ British /burglarize /ˈbɜːʳgləraɪz/ American [transitive verb]
to illegally enter a house or office and steal things :
▪ He was caught burgling the house of a police officer.
▪ Our apartment has been burglarized twice since we moved here.
▷ shoplift /ˈʃɒpˌlɪftǁˈʃɑːp-/ []
to steal things from a shop, for example by hiding them under your clothes or in a bag :
▪ The clerk spotted the girl shoplifting and stopped her from leaving the store.
▷ hold up /ˌhəʊld ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to go into a bank, shop etc with a gun and demand money :
▪ The men who held up the store were wearing Halloween masks.
▪ He was arrested and charged with holding up a cab driver.
▷ loot /luːt/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to steal things from shops or other buildings, especially during a war or at a time when the police or army have lost control of an area :
▪ His store was broken into and looted during the riot.
▪ As the army advanced toward Mantes it burned and looted everything that lay in its path.
looting [uncountable noun]
▪ Additional police officers were put on the street to prevent looting.
looter [countable noun]
▪ In full view of our cameras, looters calmly walked off with TVs, radios, and VCRs.
3. to steal from someone in the street
▷ rob /rɒbǁrɑːb/ [transitive verb]
to steal money or possessions from someone, especially using threats or violence and in a public place such as a street :
▪ Two men tried to rob him as he left the restaurant.
▪ The woman had been robbed and was badly shaken.
▷ mug /mʌg/ []
to violently attack someone in the street and rob them :
▪ She decided to move from the city after she was mugged for the third time in less than a year.
▷ snatch /snætʃ/ [transitive verb]
to steal someone’s bag from them in the street and then run away :
▪ A young boy pushed her over and snatched her purse as she fell.
4. to steal money that you have been trusted to look after
▷ embezzle /ɪmˈbez ə l/ [transitive verb]
to steal money from the place where you work, especially over a long period of time :
▪ The court was told that Julie had been embezzling funds for the last two years.
▪ He embezzled large amounts of money to finance his gambling.
▷ misappropriate /ˌmɪsəˈprəʊprieɪt/ [transitive verb] formal
to steal money that you had been trusted to keep safe :
▪ During the trial, Raabe admitted that he misappropriated $80,000 of church funds.
▷ have your fingers in the till /hæv jɔːʳ ˌfɪŋgəʳz ɪn ðə ˈtɪl/ [verb phrase not in progressive] British informal
to steal money from the place where you work, especially when your work involves handling money :
▪ They knew that money was going missing and Davy was eventually caught with his fingers in the till.
5. someone who steals
▷ thief /θiːf/ [countable noun]
someone who steals things, usually secretly and without violence :
▪ The thieves had been careful not to leave any fingerprints.
▪ She accused me of being a thief and a liar.
car thief/jewel thief etc
someone who steals cars, jewels etc
▪ Warning! Car thieves are operating in this area.
▷ robber /ˈrɒbəʳǁˈrɑː-/ [countable noun]
someone who steals from banks, offices, houses etc, especially by using threats or violence :
▪ The robbers forced bank staff to give them £4000 in cash.
bank robber
someone who robs a bank
▪ A young teller was shot dead by bank robbers today.
armed robber
a robber with a gun
▷ burglar /ˈbɜːʳgləʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who illegally gets into a house, office etc and steals things :
▪ Police believe the burglar got in through the kitchen window.
▷ shoplifter /ˈʃɒpˌlɪftəʳǁˈʃɑːp-/ [countable noun]
someone who takes things from shops without paying for them, especially by hiding them in their clothes or in a bag :
▪ The store has installed hidden cameras to catch shoplifters.
▪ They have a policy of prosecuting all shoplifters.
▷ pickpocket /ˈpɪkˌpɒkɪt, ˈpɪkˌpɒkətǁ-ˌpɑː-/ [countable noun]
someone who steals from people in a public place, by taking things from their pockets or bags without them noticing :
▪ There are a lot of pickpockets in crowded tourist areas, so look after your belongings.
▷ mugger /ˈmʌgəʳ/ [countable noun]
a thief who violently attacks someone in the street and robs them :
▪ Harry suffered serious head injuries when he was attacked by a gang of muggers.
▷ joyrider /ˈdʒɔɪraɪdəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who steals a car and drives it very fast for fun :
▪ Two joyriders died when their car crashed during a police chase.
▷ kleptomaniac /ˌkleptəˈmeɪniæk/ [countable noun]
someone who has a mental illness that makes them want to steal things, especially small things :
▪ She must be some kind of kleptomaniac -- she can’t go into a bar without coming out with a stack of glasses.
6. the crime of stealing
▷ theft /θeft/ [uncountable noun]
▪ This warehouse is not adequately protected against theft or vandalism.
▪ The mayor is taking credit for decreases in theft since he took office.
car/luggage/bicycle etc theft
▪ The rate of bicycle theft in this area is very high.
▷ robbery /ˈrɒbəriǁˈrɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
the crime of stealing money or other things from a bank, shop etc, especially by using threats or violence :
▪ Perkins was given five years in prison for robbery with violence.
▪ Robbery was believed to be the motive for the killing.
armed robbery
when robbers carry weapons
▪ He made two escape attempts while serving a sentence for armed robbery.
▷ burglary /ˈbɜːʳgləri/ [uncountable noun]
the crime of illegally entering a house, office etc and stealing things :
▪ Foster had been in prison twice already for burglary.
▪ Burglary, murder and rape are all on the increase.
▪ If you live in an area where burglary is common, it may be worth investing in an alarm system.
▷ shoplifting /ˈʃɒpˌlɪftɪŋǁˈʃɑːp-/ [uncountable noun]
the crime of taking things from shops without paying for them :
▪ Shoplifting cost the major stores millions of dollars last year.
▷ embezzlement /ɪmˈbez ə lmənt/ [uncountable noun]
the crime of stealing money from the place where you work, especially over a long period of time :
▪ Taylor left the country to escape charges of embezzlement.
embezzlement of
▪ The judge sentenced Walker to five years in prison for embezzlement of state funds.
▷ joyriding /ˈdʒɔɪraɪdɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the crime of stealing a car and driving it very fast for fun :
▪ Anyone found guilty of joyriding can now be sentenced for up to five years in prison.
▷ larceny /ˈlɑːʳs ə ni/ [uncountable noun]
the crime of stealing -- used especially in the American legal system :
▪ Brook now faces probable jail after an indictment for larceny and income tax evasion.
7. when someone steals something
▷ burglary /ˈbɜːʳgləri/ [countable noun]
when someone enters a house or other building illegally and steals things :
▪ Call the police -- there’s been a burglary.
▪ Most burglaries occur when a house or apartment is empty.
▷ robbery /ˈrɒbəriǁˈrɑː-/ [countable noun]
when someone steals money or other things from a bank, shop etc, especially by using threats or violence :
▪ I took part in my first robbery when I was only thirteen years old.
▪ In the first nine months of this year there were 9611 street robberies involving violence.
robbery of
▪ Police claim to have found the gun used in this morning’s robbery of a downtown convenience store.
bank robbery
▪ The police are investigating a series of bank robberies.
▷ break-in /ˈbreɪk ɪn/ [countable noun]
when someone breaks a door or window in order to enter a place and steal things :
▪ There was a break-in at the college last night -- they took all the computers.
▷ hold-up also stick-up American informal /ˈhəʊld ʌp, ˈstɪk ʌp/ [countable noun]
when someone goes into a bank or shop with a gun and demands money :
▪ A man was shot dead in a hold-up at a downtown bank.
▷ theft /θeft/ [countable noun] formal
when something is stolen :
▪ If your passport has been stolen, report the theft to your nearest embassy immediately.
theft of
▪ Security has been tightened since the theft of a $150,000 oil painting.
car/bicycle etc thefts
▪ Police believe they have found the man responsible for a series of car thefts in the past year.
▷ mugging /ˈmʌgɪŋ/ [countable noun]
a violent attack on someone in the street in order to rob them :
▪ There have been a number of muggings outside downtown hotels recently.
▷ raid /reɪd/ [countable noun]
when someone goes into a bank or shop while it is open, and steals money or other things using threats or violence :
▪ The police accused the woman of planning a huge armed bank raid in Scotland.
raid on
▪ Detectives managed to catch the gunman who had taken three hostages in a raid on a jeweller’s shop.
carry out a raid
▪ Police have released a photo of a man they believe carried out a raid on a supermarket.
▷ job /dʒɒbǁdʒɑːb/ [countable noun] informal
a crime that involves stealing :
▪ Her boyfriend was put in prison after a bank job theft from a bank .
inside job
done by someone within the organization
▪ The police are convinced it was an inside job.
8. something that has been stolen
▷ stolen /ˈstəʊlən/ [adjective]
▪ Thieves can sell stolen passports for a lot of money.
▪ The antiques he was selling turned out to be stolen.
stolen goods
▪ Wilson was convicted of theft and handling stolen goods.
▷ loot /luːt/ [uncountable noun] informal
the things that have been stolen during a particular robbery :
▪ The gunman stuffed the loot into a paper bag and ran outside to a waiting car.
▪ Two weeks later, police found the loot hidden in an abandoned warehouse.
▷ haul /hɔːl/ [countable noun]
a large amount of things that have been stolen :
▪ Trevino hid the haul in his mother’s closet for over a year.
▪ The police caught three men examining their haul in a house in north London.
▪ a drugs haul