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

Officers who responded to a shoplifting call encountered two adults allegedly fleeing from the store with a child and going into a vehicle, according to bureau. — Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 The police chief of a Mississippi city where 1-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot and killed by police responding to a shoplifting call in June was fired Tuesday. — Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 However, a man of the same name and age has drug and shoplifting convictions in Yavapai County, possession of contraband behind bars in Navajo and Graham Counties, and a number of lesser charges in Prescott. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 In about a quarter of them, 62 cases, soldiers single-handedly stopped people suspected of a crime, often for things like shoplifting or jumping turnstiles to avoid paying subway fare. — Brad Heath, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026 Most recently, a 2024 Seminole County Sheriff’s Office investigation accusing Singh of shoplifting was resurfaced by Walton Johnson’s supporters, despite no criminal case ever being filed. — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026 Unlike shoplifting, which is clearly transactional and morally coded, hotel theft exists in a fuzzier psychological space. — Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Aug. 2026 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

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

Some pessimists think Chalamet may be vulnerable to poaching given recent headlines, but others reject the idea.

— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
That’s why Miami needs to be aggressive trying to find a competent backup center, guard and tackle on the waiver wire via trades and through practice squad poaching.

— Omar Kelly August 24, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of poaching

Noun

In a mountain hamlet, avocado farming lifted once-poor families into the middle class, but opened the door to cartel extortion, kidnapping and fear.

— Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
The driver was found guilty at trial in June of kidnapping, rape and forcible penetration by use of a foreign object.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of kidnapping

Verb

Not just college kids, but Others cheering for Texas’ football team and snatching up Texas’ degrees.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
London — Images of masked men riding along London's streets on mopeds or electric bikes and snatching phones straight out of the hand of unsuspecting tourists and locals have gone viral in recent years.

— Emmet Lyons, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of snatching

Noun

At the time, the company was in financial distress due to embezzlement, debt and the economic downturn in agriculture.

— Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
His appointment came after a federal grand jury in Chicago indicted former superintendent Devon Horton on more than a dozen charges, including wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of embezzlement

Verb

The tree still stood, waiting, but no one visited, no one entered the world under her strong branches, her rustling leaves.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Guests love the serene jungle setting with sweet birdsong in the background and a gentle wind rustling through the trees.

— Jasreen Mayal Khanna, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of rustling

Noun

Officer Luis Triunfel, 33, was charged Monday with burglary, grand larceny, computer trespass and tampering with evidence, police said.

— Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Cook County court records indicate Arroyo was convicted of a 1996 felony burglary and sentenced to 18 months' probation.

— Dave Savini, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of burglary

Verb

The burger eventually went viral, grabbing the attention of corporate, which put a stop to it, Eater reported in 2013.

— Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Springshot urged the court to pause Spirit’s data sale until a transparent forensic process establishes that none of the data Google is grabbing is actually owned by third parties.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 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 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of shoplifting

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

aggrandize

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes