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
-
Sure, or shoplifting or anything that feels sinful or wrong.—
Sharyn Alfonsi,
CBS News,
8 Dec. 2025
-
The former Heisman Trophy winner was then issued a civil citation for shoplifting.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
The Bootleg Cut includes additional character moments, like protagonist and Crowe stand-in William (Patrick Fugit) making a habit of stealing little items from hotel rooms.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
Noun
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But even the best authors can’t seem to resist filching from The Bard’s pantry.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Elected to the presidency after the devastating 2010 earthquake in a controversial vote, he was dogged by accusations of involvement in gang violence, drug trafficking and the embezzlement of nearly $2 billion in aid from a Venezuelan oil program.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
8 Dec. 2025
-
From there, the series’ host, Sam Mullins, unspools a head-spinning story of keen detective work, puzzling clues, false identities, embezzlement schemes, naïveté, and murder, in a tone that seems to be trying to resist jumping up and down with narrative pride.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Lawyers for the former FedEx driver who is accused of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Athena Strand in 2022 want the suspect’s police interviews thrown out, new court filings say.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Walker has been charged with four counts of kidnapping to commit robbery, one count of first-degree robbery in concert and one count of first-degree burglary, all of which are felonies.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Since the hijacking, Dallas has upgraded its 173 sirens, installing what the city claims is one of the most advanced encryption systems in the country.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Nov. 2025
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Earlier in the season, OA and his girlfriend Gemma Brooks (Comfort Clinton) were taken hostage during a train hijacking en route to Niagara Falls.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In 1997, France launched a national inquiry into the plundering of artwork from Jews.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 May 2026
-
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
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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That is especially true of the right of publicity, with NIL as a subset—this right forbids misappropriation of a person’s unique and marketable qualities, including their NIL, signature, voice, nickname or myriad other identifying traits of commercial value.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pilfering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilfering. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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