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
Leading up to the shooting was a call to police on the evening of March 27 from a clerk at Circle K about a female suspect shoplifting two cans of beer and fleeing in a gray Nissan truck, according to court documents.
—
Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Sheneka Gumbs, 54 Chandler Road, Malden, shoplifting by asportation.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
The fingerprints were found to be a match to Maria Ortiz, who was arrested by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office after being accused of shoplifting in June 1989, deputies said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Under 2014’s Proposition 47, which reduced penalties for most drug and theft offenses, people arrested for possession of hard drugs or for shoplifting less than $950 in goods were often cited and released.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoplift
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Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Sheneka Gumbs, 54 Chandler Road, Malden, shoplifting by asportation.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
The fingerprints were found to be a match to Maria Ortiz, who was arrested by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office after being accused of shoplifting in June 1989, deputies said.
—Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Under 2014’s Proposition 47, which reduced penalties for most drug and theft offenses, people arrested for possession of hard drugs or for shoplifting less than $950 in goods were often cited and released.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 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 3 Oct. 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
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