1
a
: to take (something that does not belong to you) in a way that is wrong or illegal
They stole thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry from the store.
Someone stole my bicycle.
He discovered that his car had been stolen.
a stolen watch
The store manager accused the boy of stealing.
b
: to take (something that you are not supposed to have) without asking for permission
I stole a cookie from the cookie jar.
c
: to wrongly take and use (another person's idea, words, etc.)
He stole my idea.
d
: to persuade (someone who has been with someone else) to be with you especially by doing things that are unfair or dishonest
He stole my girlfriend.
They stole our best pitcher away from our team.
2
: to get (something that is difficult to get) in usually a quick and often secret way
I stole a nap this afternoon. [=I managed to take a brief nap this afternoon]
He stole a peek/look [=took a quick peek/look] at the birthday cake.
He stole a glance at her [=looked at her quickly] before riding away.
She stole a kiss from him [=kissed him in a quick and sudden way] and ran away.
3
: to get more attention than others during (a performance, scene, etc.)
Her impassioned acting stole the scene. [=everyone in the audience watched her during the scene because of her impassioned acting]
His outstanding performance stole the show.
4
a
baseball
: to reach (a base) safely by running to it from the previous base when the ball has not been hit by a batter
He reached first base on a single and then stole second (base).
She tried to steal but got thrown out.
He leads the league in stealing.
b
sports
: to take (the ball, puck, etc.) from another player
(basketball) He stole the ball and took it down the court for two points.
He stole the pass.
5
: to come or go quietly or secretly
They stole out of the room.
She stole away silently.
plural steals
1
informal
: something that is being sold at a low price
This car is a steal at only $5,000.
2
a
baseball
: the act of stealing a base
He has 40 steals this season.
b
sports
: the act of taking the ball, puck, etc., from another player
a nifty steal by the defender
Cite this Entry
“Steal.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/steal. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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