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| steal [ steel ] |
verb (past stole [ stōl ], past participle sto·len [ stṓlən ], present participle steal·ing, 3rd person present singular steals) |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive and intransitive verb take something unlawfully: to take something that belongs to somebody else, illegally or without the owner's permission
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2. transitive verb take something furtively: to take or get something secretly, surreptitiously, or through trickery
 steal a glance
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3. transitive verb dishonestly present somebody's work as yours: to take something that somebody else has created, especially ideas, theories, or a piece of writing, and present it as your own
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4. intransitive verb sneak: to move quietly, especially in the hope of not been seen or caught
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5. intransitive verb pass unnoticed: to pass or move without being noticed
(
literary
)
Dawn was stealing over the mountaintops.
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6. transitive verb succeed at something unexpectedly: to win or succeed at something unexpectedly, luckily, or dishonestly at the expense of another or others
(
informal
)
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7. transitive and intransitive verb baseball gain base without hit: in baseball, to gain a base by running without the ball being hit by the batter and in the absence of an error by the fielding team
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noun (plural steals) |
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| Definition: |
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1. bargain: something that does not cost very much or that costs a lot less than would be expected
(
informal
)
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2. baseball stolen base: in baseball, a stolen base
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3. act of stealing: an act of stealing something
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| [ Old English stelan< Germanic] |
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| steal·er noun |
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| Word Key: Synonyms |
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steal, pinch, filch, purloin, pilfer, embezzle, misappropriate
CORE MEANING: to take property unlawfully
steal to take something that belongs to somebody else, illegally or without the owner's permission;
Last year, 22,000 cars were stolen in that region.
a robbery in which more than $20 million was stolen from a Geneva bank
pinch (informal) to steal something or take something without permission;
Who's pinched my pen?
I had my purse pinched on the subway.
filch (informal) to steal something opportunistically, usually a small item or something of little value;
He filched the wood he needed from his neighbor's yard.
purloin (formal or humorous) to steal something, especially when the theft breaks another's trust;
They pledge to prosecute sales of knock-off drugs, purloined software, pirated videos, and the like.
The former inspector told how he had once caught a member of his team purloining a top-secret document.
pilfer to steal small items of little value, especially habitually;
accused the children of pilfering fruit from her orchard
It is estimated that 25 percent of food sent as aid to the camps is being pilfered and sold on the black market.
embezzle to take for personal use money or property that has been given on trust by others, without their knowledge;
She denies embezzling thousands of dollars while she was company treasurer.
The former attorney general embezzled public funds and should be extradited to face the charge, U.S. prosecutors argued yesterday.
misappropriate to take something, especially money, dishonestly or in order to use it for an improper or illegal purpose;
The chief executive insisted that no money had been misappropriated and used for personal expenses.
The defendant was found guilty of misappropriating public funds. |
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