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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pilferage
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Recent Examples of pilfering
Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
This, above, was the first of Naeher’s career on her 200th NWSL outing, pilfering a 3-3 draw (from three down, on the road) against Seattle Reign.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
This, above, was the first of Naeher’s career on her 200th NWSL outing, pilfering a 3-3 draw (from three down, on the road) against Seattle Reign.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilfering
Verb
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What he’s actually done is fake his death to create a template for a new life by stealing $90 million from a client of his crooked law firm.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
3 Oct. 2025
-
One man was arrested and accused of stealing a golf cart.—
Bob Harkins,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Nine days before Heskett received the termination notice, the body camera footage shows Heskett and another officer confronting a shoplifting suspect outside a local Walmart.—
Andi Babineau,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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Crimes against property, including vehicle theft and shoplifting, were down 9% in 2024 compared to 2023.—
Mars King,
Twin Cities,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a high-profile, three-month-long trial, prosecutors alleged that Sarkozy funneled millions of dollars from the Libyan government into his campaign coffers; he was acquitted of further charges of embezzlement and corruption.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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According to the criminal complaint, on June 28, 2024, someone from Ruder Ware Business Attorneys contacted the Marshfield Police Department about the possible embezzlement of money from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Marshfield by Pederson.—
Karen Madden,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There’s something about kidnapping that scares the fear out of you, Goldberg-Polin says.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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How a squad had burst into that house, taken away the adults, and left the children behind, all witnesses to the kidnapping.—
Mariana Enriquez
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The hijacking of the sport and the community institutions that built it, by noxious forces using it for their own means.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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This prevents session hijacking if the system keeps tokens cached.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and brings claims for breach of fiduciary duty, misappropriation of trade secrets and fraudulent concealment, among several others.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Sep. 2025
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The chapter’s complaint noted the fraudulent and missing invoices, misappropriation of funds, questionable accounting and conflicts of interest that led to the national NAACP’s investigation into the officials and that highlight a damning Sacramento County audit released this spring.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pilfering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilfering. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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