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?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pilfering
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
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
Verb
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
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
-
The Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves both bounced back by stealing Game 2 on the road in their respective series.—
Geoff Clark OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
In November, the Justice Department charged the Florida Democrat with stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for her campaign.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
He gets arrested for shoplifting.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
This includes shoplifting, which dropped by nearly 3%; thefts from vehicles falling by 31%; and thefts of motor vehicle parts decreasing by about 27%, the report said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After the younger pair witness a semi-violent altercation between the older two, the couples become intertwined in an ever-worsening web of blackmail, resentment, embezzlement, fraud and deception.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Nearly four years after criminal charges were filed, Epic Charter Schools’ founders are about to learn whether they will be bound over for trial in the state’s massive racketeering and embezzlement case against them.—
Andrea Eger,
Oklahoma Watch,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Benue has been a hot spot for armed violence in Nigeria's northern region where armed gangs often target remote villagers and travelers with violent killings and kidnapping for ransom.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Another alleged Tre-4 member, Sincere Pomar, faces kidnapping and robbery charges in a Richmond marijuana dispensary robbery where the victims were held at gunpoint and zip-tied, court records show.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Several actual terror attacks against India are featured in the plot; these include the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight 814, the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, and the 2008 attacks across multiple landmarks in Mumbai.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The role of Israel's hijacking of Iran’s street cameras in the killing of the country’s supreme leader underscores how surveillance systems are increasingly being targeted by adversaries in wartime.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 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
-
Gastineau raises several claims, including breach of contract and misappropriation of his NIL.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Jurors in that case were told about the Lion Air misappropriation.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pilfering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilfering. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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