steal

1 of 2

verb

stole ˈstōl How to pronounce steal (audio) ; stolen ˈstō-lən How to pronounce steal (audio) ; stealing

intransitive verb

1
: to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice
2
: to come or go secretly, unobtrusively, gradually, or unexpectedly
3
: to steal or attempt to steal a base

transitive verb

1
a
: to take or appropriate without right or leave and with intent to keep or make use of wrongfully
stole a car
b
: to take away by force or unjust means
they've stolen our liberty
c
: to take surreptitiously or without permission
steal a kiss
d
: to appropriate to oneself or beyond one's proper share : make oneself the focus of
steal the show
2
a
: to move, convey, or introduce secretly : smuggle
b
: to accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner
steal a visit
3
a
: to seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring
a basketball player adept at stealing the ball
stole the election
b
of a base runner : to reach (a base) safely solely by running and usually catching the opposing team off guard
stealable adjective
stealer noun

steal

2 of 2

noun

1
: the act or an instance of stealing
2
: a fraudulent or questionable political deal
3
: bargain sense 2
it's a steal at that price
Phrases
steal a march on
: to gain an advantage on unobserved
steal one's thunder
: to grab attention from another especially by anticipating an idea, plan, or presentation
also : to claim credit for another's idea
Choose the Right Synonym for steal

steal, pilfer, filch, purloin mean to take from another without right or without detection.

steal may apply to any surreptitious taking of something and differs from the other terms by commonly applying to intangibles as well as material things.

steal jewels
stole a look at the gifts

pilfer implies stealing repeatedly in small amounts.

pilfered from his employer

filch adds a suggestion of snatching quickly and surreptitiously.

filched an apple from the tray

purloin stresses removing or carrying off for one's own use or purposes.

printed a purloined document

Examples of steal in a Sentence

Verb They stole thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry from the store. He discovered that his car had been stolen. The store manager accused the boy of stealing. I stole a cookie from the cookie jar. They stole our best pitcher away from our team. His outstanding performance stole the show. Noun This car is a steal at only $5,000. He has 40 steals this season. a nifty steal by the defender
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The second half didn’t start any better, with Anderson stealing a lazy inbounds pass from Jay Pal and gliding in for an uncontested dunk. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 An ex-undersheriff admits to having alleged deputy gang tattoo — then getting rid of it Four Chileans stole from homes across L.A. in a case of ‘burglary tourism,’ police say. Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 High-profile hacks by Chinese state agents, including one at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management where personal data on 22 million existing or prospective federal employees was stolen, got so serious that then-President Barack Obama personally complained to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Associated Press, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 After reports of early earthquake relief supplies being stolen by the Somoza regime in Nicaragua, Clemente decided to deliver the next plane of earthquake supplies himself, perhaps reasoning that government thieves wouldn’t dare steal from Roberto Clemente in the flesh. Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 The 51-year-old faces charges of having an assault weapon, stealing a firearm, making a non-serialized firearm and having a firearm with an altered serial number. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 But none of these features steal the show quite like the shower — which is located directly off the entry in the kitchen. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 The 43-year-old man was charged March 7 with theft for stealing from the Four Winds Casino, which is owned by the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Tribe, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024 How the scheme unfolded From 2009 to 2021, Hershey and Bradley stole from numerous victims who invested in two unregistered securities offerings the men promoted, Performance Retire and Distressed Lending Fund, according to court documents. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
Colorado Academy was led by George Buyers, who finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four steals. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Nate Pickens had 20 points, five rebounds and four steals to lead UCR (14-17, 9-10 Big West), which closed the game on a 16-6 run over the final 4:18 to secure the win. Staff and News Service Reports, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024 In the state final against Mitty last season, the 6-1 power forward had 30 points, 13 rebounds and six steals. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 Watkins is a front-runner to add to her trophy case with at least national freshman of the year honors, battling Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, who leads the ACC in scoring with 23.8 points and leads the nation with 4.9 steals. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Coleman added 17 points, five rebounds and four steals despite being a game-time decision to play after straining her Achilles in the semifinals on Thursday. Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2024 Northridge also got 17 points, seven rebounds and two steals from De’Sean Allen-Eikens. Staff and Wire Reports, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 But the Heat began the second half on an 8-0 run featuring two threes from Duncan Robinson and a steal and dunk from Jimmy Butler. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 That’s quite a steal for coffee these days — almost as rare as a date that only comes around every four years. Amber Love Bond, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English stelen, from Old English stelan; akin to Old High German stelan to steal

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of steal was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near steal

Cite this Entry

“Steal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

steal

1 of 2 verb
stole ˈstōl How to pronounce steal (audio) ; stolen ˈstō-lən How to pronounce steal (audio) ; stealing
1
: to come or go secretly or quietly
stole out of the room
2
a
: to take and carry away without right and with the intention of keeping the property of another : rob
b
: to take in a sneaky way and without permission
steal a kiss
c
: to take entirely to oneself or beyond one's proper share
steal the show
3
b
: to accomplish or get in a concealed or unobserved manner
steal a nap
4
a
: to seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring
the basketball player stole the ball
b
: to gain a base in baseball by running without the aid of a hit or an error
stealer noun

steal

2 of 2 noun
1
: the act or an instance of stealing
2
: something offered or purchased at a low price : bargain

Medical Definition

steal

noun
: abnormal circulation characterized by deviation (as through collateral vessels or by backward flow) of blood to tissues where the normal flow of blood has been cut off by occlusion of an artery
subclavian steal
coronary steal

Legal Definition

steal

transitive verb
stole; stolen; stealing
: to take or appropriate without right or consent and with intent to keep or make use of see also robbery, theft
Etymology

Transitive verb

Old English stelan

More from Merriam-Webster on steal

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