Definition of FILCH

Choose the Right Synonym for filch

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

Did You Know?

I am glad I am so acquit of this tinder-box: his thefts were too open; his filching was like an unskilful singer-he kept not time. So says Falstaff in Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Bard was fond of filch in both its literal and figurative uses; Iago says to Othello, "he that filches from me my good name / Robs me of that which not enriches him / And makes me poor indeed." Filch derives from the Middle English word filchen ("to attack" or "to steal") and perhaps from Old English gefylce ("band of men, troop, army"). As a noun, filch once referred to a hooked staff used by thieves to snatch articles out of windows and from similar places, but this use is now obsolete.

Examples of filch in a Sentence

He filched a pack of gum when no one was looking. too hungry to wait until the party had started, he filched a cookie from the buffet table when no one was looking

Recent Examples on the Web

Forays like these increasingly vex trade hawks in America, who fear that China will filch its cutting-edge technology. — The Economist, "China’s new $15bn tech fund emulates SoftBank’s Vision Fund," 5 July 2018 On the weekends, when the bankers flee to the ’burbs, filching swigs of liquor on the Metra, the LaSalle Street canyon goes dark. — Michael Nagrant, RedEye Chicago, "Worth a trip: Mezcal old fashioned from Vol. 39," 20 Dec. 2017 Some of the plotting also filches from another famous genre picture. — Philly.com, "Movies: New and Noteworthy," 19 Feb. 2018 The cause of the new public relations crisis is the disclosure last week of two new ways to filch data from the microprocessors inside nearly all of the world’s computers. — Don Clark, New York Times, "Intel Faces Scrutiny as Questions Swirl Over Chip Security," 7 Jan. 2018 Such price sensitivity is reflected in what gets filched. — The Economist, "Lucrative lootHow the economics of robbery are changing," 16 Dec. 2017 This time the 30-year-old Tremayne is on assignment for the India Office, which has replaced the East India Company, and his aim is to travel to the Peruvian highlands to filch cinchona cuttings. — Sara Wheeler, New York Times, "A 19th-Century Smuggler in the Peruvian Andes," 15 Sep. 2017 Dean steals cars where the others are scarcely capable of filching a loaf of bread from an untended grocery. — Lily Rothman, Time, "Read TIME's Original 1957 Review of On the Road," 5 Sep. 2017 Femme fatales have also been known to filch other fireflies that have become trapped in spider webs. — Jason Bittel, Smithsonian, "Illuminating the Secret Language of Lightning Bugs," 3 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'filch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.