purloin

verb

pur·​loin (ˌ)pər-ˈlȯin 

ˈpər-ˌlȯin

purloined; purloining; purloins

transitive verb

: to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust

purloiner noun

Did you know?

Picture a pie cooling on a windowsill. Peach, possibly, or perhaps plum—with perfect perfumed plumes puffing out from the holes poked in its crust. And then, suddenly, the pie is gone (as is our alliteration, at least for now). Those familiar with the classic pie-windowsill thievery of cartoons and comics know that the dessert has not been merely stolen, or even swiped, but purloined! Purloin comes from the Anglo-French verb purluigner, meaning “to prolong, postpone, or set aside.” English speakers of the 15th century borrowed purloin to use it in much the same way, applying it when someone sets something aside, concealing it so that it cannot be used by someone else. The sense meaning “to steal” developed not long after in the same century. The whiff of unseriousness often carried by purloin is not a constant; even today, it is common to read reports of people purloining large sums of money, not just delicious plum pies. But purloin does tend to carry the same particular piquancy as pinch and pilfer.

Synonyms

• appropriate
• boost [slang]
• filch
• heist
• hook
• lift
• misappropriate
• nick [British slang]
• nip
• pilfer
• pinch
• pocket
• rip off
• snitch
• steal
• swipe
• thieve

Choose the Right Synonym for purloin

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

Examples of purloin in a Sentence

the studio stepped up security, fearing that someone might attempt to purloin a copy of the script for the show's season finale

Recent Examples on the Web

Thanks to the record-high energy prices that accompanied his assumption of power in 1999, Putin was able to personally purloin some $45 billion and still have enough money to raise the country’s standard of living, strengthen the Russian military, and keep his cronies happy. —Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2015

At that time, 38,000 feet — roughly seven miles — of copper wire had been purloined from the 6th Street Bridge, probably fetching about $11,000, De León said. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2024

As Bloomberg reports, Christie’s admits that some client information was taken in an attack earlier this month—which took the art-world titan’s website offline for 10 days—but says there’s no evidence of financial or transactional records having been purloined. —David Meyer, Fortune, 28 May 2024

With its median value pitched at $50, that implies some 160 million packages purloined every year (other estimates are two or three times as high). —Simon Seeger, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to put away, misappropriate, from Anglo-French purluigner to prolong, postpone, set aside, from pur- forward + luin, loing at a distance, from Latin longe, from longus long — more at purchase entry 1, long

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

purloin

verb

pur·​loin (ˌ)pər-ˈlȯin 

ˈpər-ˌlȯin

: steal entry 1 sense 2a

purloiner noun

Legal Definition

purloin

transitive verb

pur·​loin pər-ˈlȯin, ˈpər-ˌlȯin 

: steal