shoplift
verb
shop·lift
ˈshäp-ˌlift 
shoplifted; shoplifting; shoplifts
: to steal displayed goods from a store
: to steal (displayed goods) from a store
Examples of shoplift in a Sentence
The manager saw the kids shoplift and called the police.
The kids shoplifted candy from the store.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alves pleaded guilty to shoplifting at the Faneuil Hall Sunglass Hut last July, before authorities in Somerville nabbed him later that summer for allegedly stealing over $100,000 worth of merchandise from the Assembly Row Sunglass Hut.
—
Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
The dejected actor stumbles over to a marketplace to buy a drink, shoplift a lighter, and strike out with a lottery ticket.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025
Brooklyn’s Lo Life crew, for example, was known for shoplifting Ralph Lauren in the Eighties as a means of protest.
—Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2025
Savage was charged with shoplifting from a New Jersey Walmart in 2012.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoplift
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.
Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
The dejected actor stumbles over to a marketplace to buy a drink, shoplift a lighter, and strike out with a lottery ticket.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025
Brooklyn’s Lo Life crew, for example, was known for shoplifting Ralph Lauren in the Eighties as a means of protest.
—Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2025
Savage was charged with shoplifting from a New Jersey Walmart in 2012.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoplift
Cite this Entry
“Shoplift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoplift. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shoplift
verb
shop·lift
-ˌlift
: to steal merchandise on display in stores
Legal Definition
shoplift
intransitive verb
shop·lift
ˈshäp-ˌlift
: to steal displayed goods from a store
: to steal (displayed goods) from a store
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share