shoplift
verb
shop·lift
ˈshäp-ˌlift 
shoplifted; shoplifting; shoplifts
: to steal displayed goods from a store
: to steal (displayed goods) from a store
Examples of shoplift in a Sentence
The manager saw the kids shoplift and called the police.
The kids shoplifted candy from the store.
Recent Examples on the Web
Under Laken Riley Act, federal officials are required to detain any migrant arrested or charged with crimes like shoplifting or assaulting a police officer or crimes that injure or kill someone.
—
Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Subsequently, the filmmaker became enamored with airplanes and transferred that same fascination onto Lil Ant, who eyes the planes overhead with palpable yearning and, at one point, shoplifts a toy plane from a store.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
Her future became clearer in 1991 after a friend, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins, was shot and killed by a grocer who witnesses said accused the girl of trying to shoplift a bottle of orange juice.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 26 Jan. 2026
The mother was accused of shoplifting after taking her daughter, who was holding an unpaid-for keychain, out of a crowded store to prevent a meltdown.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoplift
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Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Subsequently, the filmmaker became enamored with airplanes and transferred that same fascination onto Lil Ant, who eyes the planes overhead with palpable yearning and, at one point, shoplifts a toy plane from a store.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
Her future became clearer in 1991 after a friend, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins, was shot and killed by a grocer who witnesses said accused the girl of trying to shoplift a bottle of orange juice.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 26 Jan. 2026
The mother was accused of shoplifting after taking her daughter, who was holding an unpaid-for keychain, out of a crowded store to prevent a meltdown.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shoplift
Cite this Entry
“Shoplift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoplift. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shoplift
verb
shop·lift
-ˌlift
: to steal merchandise on display in stores
Legal Definition
shoplift
intransitive verb
shop·lift
ˈshäp-ˌlift
: to steal displayed goods from a store
: to steal (displayed goods) from a store
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