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

The amount that Taylor actually filched from the AFDC program was much less than authorities claimed. — Bryce Covert, The New Republic, "The Myth of the Welfare Queen," 2 July 2019 Neither is Jeremy Lamb nor T.J. Warren, the 18-ppg scorer Pritchard filched from Phoenix, along with the 32nd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, for cash. — Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Malcolm Brogdon and Jeremy Lamb? Kevin Pritchard just made the Pacers a lot better," 30 June 2019 Calgary in 2013 tried to filch holdout Ryan O’Reilly away from the Avalanche with a two-year deal totaling $10 million. — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, "Blues’ Stanley Cup blueprint: Don’t expect league to follow suit," 15 June 2019 Warmbier was a curious college student on a tour of Pyongyang in January 2016 when he was arrested for allegedly filching a propaganda poster. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Otto Warmbier’s Reminder," 1 Jan. 2019 As Torun’s nimble camera follows the cats doing their rounds—filching food, catching rats, scaring off interlopers—the film offers a glimpse of something richer and more poetic. — Vogue, "These Are the 66 Best Documentaries of All Time," 8 Aug. 2018 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

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.