as in pilferage
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as in stealing
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
what sort of person would pilfer lunches from the office refrigerator?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pilfering
Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
John Hodgman, New York Times, 8 May 2026
Prosecutors said Pildes defrauded attendees and small business owners alike, pilfering funds to pay for extensive renovations on a lakefront property in New Jersey, concert tickets, luxury getaways, Michelin star meals and a sports car.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
Season 5, meanwhile, has noticeably flattened its ensemble, leaning on simplistic personality traits and pilfering from previous arcs.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
Earlier this week the company filed a lawsuit against a group of data-scraping companies for allegedly pilfering its content and selling it to Perplexity.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
And not the two sets of federal indictments against him for pilfering classified documents and then refusing to return them and for defrauding the United States.
—Jeff Robbins, Oc Register, 20 Oct. 2025
Seven people are locked up for running a theft ring that included pilfering more than $800,000 in smoke detectors from Home Depot stores across Florida — including Miami-Dade, according to Attorney General James Uthmeier.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
In the second novel of the Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, Chakraborty sets her pirate protagonist out onto the high seas for some perilous pilfering after being dragged into her partner’s problems.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Verb
A little pantry pilfering is your right as a member of the household.
—John Hodgman, New York Times, 8 May 2026
Prosecutors said Pildes defrauded attendees and small business owners alike, pilfering funds to pay for extensive renovations on a lakefront property in New Jersey, concert tickets, luxury getaways, Michelin star meals and a sports car.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
Season 5, meanwhile, has noticeably flattened its ensemble, leaning on simplistic personality traits and pilfering from previous arcs.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
Earlier this week the company filed a lawsuit against a group of data-scraping companies for allegedly pilfering its content and selling it to Perplexity.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
And not the two sets of federal indictments against him for pilfering classified documents and then refusing to return them and for defrauding the United States.
—Jeff Robbins, Oc Register, 20 Oct. 2025
Seven people are locked up for running a theft ring that included pilfering more than $800,000 in smoke detectors from Home Depot stores across Florida — including Miami-Dade, according to Attorney General James Uthmeier.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilfering
Noun
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The National Business Crime Centre revealed that last year the most common causes for these incidents were challenging customers on shoplifting or age verification and dealing with people under the influence of drugs or alcohol.—
Alliance Manchester Business School,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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To battle the troubling trend, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney created a partnership with 20 big-name box stores to crack down on the shoplifting ring.—
Carolyn Gusoff,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Some also broke into a tractor trailer, stealing items inside.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
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Years before winning a Tony and becoming one of comedy’s most singular stars, Cole Escola was stealing scenes on Difficult People.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
Noun
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Last year, Vietnam removed the death penalty for eight offenses including embezzlement.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
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Among the grounds listed are fraud, embezzlement, theft, misappropriation of district resources, breach of fiduciary duty, neglect of duties, criminal convictions, violations of law, policy violations, dishonesty, insubordination and failure to perform contractual obligations.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
18 June 2026
Noun
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Issa Hamade and Ahmad Harb, both 32, and Sobhi Sobh, 33, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree kidnapping, extortion, conspiracy, battery with intent to commit mayhem, robbery or grand larceny, and coercion with force or threats, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
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Investigators learned that Canon was in custody at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility on unrelated charges and arrested him for kidnapping, child endangerment, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Noun
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White, who was taken into custody by federal agents, was later found incompetent to stand trial on hijacking and murder charges.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
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The daughter of a 2024 bus hijacking victim has filed a lawsuit saying the bus operator, Gwinnett County and the city of Atlanta are all to blame for not noticing the shooter’s erratic behavior long before the trigger was pulled.—
Alex Nettles,
AJC.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Some have traveled farther as part of colonial-era collections — as far as the British Museum — and been returned; a story unto itself about the plundering of the natural world in the age of empire, and institutions reckoning with their inheritance.—
Tom Page,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
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Living through the aftermath of Rome’s plundering in 410 by the Visigoths, Augustine keenly appreciated the fact that empires come and go.—
Brett Whalen,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Riverside Sheriff's Department began an investigation into Renee Wilson in March, and the 51-year-old was arrested Tuesday on one count of misappropriation of public funds, three counts of grand theft, two counts of embezzlement by a public officer, and four counts of forgery.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
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Last year, Shaolin Temple announced that Shi was under investigation on suspicion of misappropriation and embezzlement of project funds and temple assets.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pilfering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilfering. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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