petit larceny

noun

: larceny involving property of a value below a legally established minimum

Examples of petit larceny in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

On Wednesday, according to WTVR-TV, the Commonwealth’s Attorney urged the judge to deny bond citing Coleman’s criminal history of drug possession and selling convictions, petit larceny conviction, and several failures to appear dating back to 2002. —

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026 Calderon, who police say is homeless, is facing a slew of charges, including murder, manslaughter, assault, burglary and petit larceny. —

Adi Guajardo, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026 His last arrest was in September in Staten Island on a petit larceny charge, cops said. —

Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2025 Nunez had three prior arrests in New York City between Oct. 2023 and Nov. 2024 for a variety of offenses, including grand larceny, petit larceny, second-degree assault, and third-degree assault, according to DHS. —

Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for petit larceny

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of petit larceny was circa 1580

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

petit jury

petit larceny

petit-maître

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Petit larceny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petit%20larceny. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.

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