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.

Over the last four months, Burke has been arrested four times for crimes ranging from petit larceny to burglary to assault. —

Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026 Roman Amatitla, 38, is facing multiple charges, including murder, arson, assault and petit larceny, police said. —

Katie Houlis, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026 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 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 17 May. 2026.

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