theft

noun

ˈtheft 

1

a

: the act of stealing

specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it

b

: an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property

2

: a stolen base in baseball

3

obsolete : something stolen

Synonyms of theft

• robbery
• stealing

Examples of theft in a Sentence

The theft of the jewelry and other valuables was immediately reported to the police.

He was found guilty of theft.

Recent Examples on the Web

He was sentenced to death in 1988 after convictions on two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping and burglary and theft. —Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 19 Dec. 2025

Federal prosecutors have been looking into large-scale fraud in several Minnesota programs ever since dozens were indicted and convicted starting in 2022 in the Feeding Our Future scandal, which saw the theft of $250 million in taxpayer funds meant to feed children in need. —Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

Part of the theft is most likely due to the increasingly common phenomenon of North Korean hackers’ fraudulently obtaining remote technical jobs with international companies, the report said. —Kevin Collier, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025

The Federal Bureau of Investigation quickly declared North Korea responsible for the theft. —Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English thiefthe, from Old English thīefth; akin to Old English thēof thief

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing theft

• anti-theft
• grand theft
• identity theft
• petit theft
• petty theft

Rhymes for theft

• cleft
• deft
• heft
• left
• bereft

Kids Definition

theft

noun

ˈtheft 

: the act of stealing

Legal Definition

theft

noun

: larceny

broadly : a criminal taking of the property or services of another without consent

Note: Theft commonly encompasses by statute a variety of forms of stealing formerly treated as distinct crimes.

— grand theft

: theft of property or services whose value exceeds a specified amount or of a specified kind of property (as an automobile)

Note: Grand theft is a felony.

— identity theft

: the unauthorized use of another's means of identification (as name or social security number) for the purpose of committing theft or another crime

— petty theft

: theft of property or services whose value is below a specified amount

called also petit theft

Note: Petty theft is a misdemeanor but may be aggravated by prior convictions.

Etymology

Old English thiefth