SHOPLIFTING Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

shoplifting 1 of 2

noun

as in pilfering

Related Words

Relevance

shoplifting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of shoplift

as in poaching

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shoplifting

Noun

State authorities have said that police were responding to a shoplifting call at a Walmart when an officer fired at the car Kohen was in. — Bracey Harris, NBC news, 1 July 2026 The shooting occurred on June 14, after law enforcement officers responded to a shoplifting call in Senatobia, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 22 June 2026 The fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy by police who were responding to a shoplifting call this past weekend has ignited simmering tensions between police and Black residents in the small town of Senatobia, Miss. — Travis Loller, Arkansas Online, 20 June 2026 The measure, passed with the help of Democrats, directs federal immigration enforcement to detain and deport those without legal status charged with minor theft or shoplifting, assault of a law enforcement officer, or crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury of another person. — Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 20 June 2026 The fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy by police who were responding to a shoplifting call this week has ignited simmering tensions between police and Black residents in the small town of Senatobia, Mississippi. — CBS News, 19 June 2026 The fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy by police who were responding to a shoplifting call this week has ignited simmering tensions between police and Black residents in the small town of Senatobia, Miss. — Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026 Behind every incident of shoplifting, intimidation, verbal abuse or violence is a retail worker being asked to manage situations that are becoming increasingly volatile. — Alliance Manchester Business School, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 One person was arrested and two others took a trip to the hospital Tuesday following a shoplifting incident in Lafayette that also resulted in a brief pursuit and crash, authorities said. — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 3 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoplifting

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

Definition of pilfering

Verb

Rudi Voller, West Germany vs Argentina, 1986 The Germans draw level at 2-2 with a great piece of poaching from Voller after Lothar Matthaus wins a header from a corner.

— Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Developing people takes longer than poaching them, and in a busy season, the temptation to skip it is enormous.

— Brad Strawbridge, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of poaching

Noun

People in northwest Nigeria are caught between regular attacks by bandit groups who specialize in kidnapping for ransom and Islamist militants who have been expanding their territory.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
Helen is the queen of Sparta whose kidnapping by the Trojans ignited the Trojan War in the first place.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026

Definition of kidnapping

Verb

Scylla pounces, snatching members of the crew between her jaws.

— Chris Moody, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
Kane spent more than a decade plugging away, loyally, at his first club, Tottenham Hotspur, a perpetual Premier League bridesmaid (or worse) whose name has become a byword for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 14 July 2026

Definition of snatching

Noun

Le Pen was sentenced in March 2025 to four years in prison, with two suspended, and a five-year ban on running for office, over her National Rally party’s alleged embezzlement of European Union funds.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 July 2026
Turner was charged with three felony counts of embezzlement of more than $100,000 from L-Town Charities, based out of Denver, North Carolina.

— Mark Price July 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2026

Definition of embezzlement

Verb

The only sounds were the birds, rustling leaves in the soft breeze, and insects buzzing around from flower to flower.

— Lucrezia Worthington, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 June 2026
Around a bend, yellow wildflowers pop out of the underbrush, where curious deer and rustling ground squirrels (squinnies to this Iowan) startle.

— Diane Penningroth, Midwest Living, 12 June 2026

Definition of rustling

Noun

Aaron Child, a 19-year-old from Boise, was arrested on suspicion of felony burglary and also two probation violations.

— Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 17 July 2026
The intruder, later identified as Andrew Truelove, was charged with hate crime - burglary, hate crime - menacing, hate crime - criminal trespass, and harassment by the NYPD.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Definition of burglary

Verb

Permethrin is a spray that works on clothing and gear to keep ticks from grabbing you, but do not put it directly on your skin!

— Amanda Roome, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
As recently as 2021, he was accused of grabbing the mother of one of his children and throwing her to the ground.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of grabbing

Browse Nearby Words

shoplifters

shoplifting

shoplifts

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Shoplifting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoplifting. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of shoplifting

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on shoplifting

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

raffish

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes