Synonyms of stealing

stealing 1 of 2

noun

as in robbery

the unlawful taking and carrying away of property without the consent of its owner

in those days the stealing of a horse was a very serious crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• robbery
• theft
• larceny
• kidnapping
• thievery
• burglary
• pilfering
• smuggling
• embezzlement
• abduction
• embezzling
• misappropriation
• shoplifting
• graft
• hijacking
• plundering
• looting
• rustling
• pilferage
• housebreaking
• peculation
• misapplication
• petit larceny
• filching
• piracy
• petty larceny
• poaching
• pillage
• purloining
• carjacking
• spoliation
• rapine
• despoliation
• banditry
• shanghaiing
• despoilment
• black marketeering

stealing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of steal

1

as in swiping

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep

the guy who tried to steal my car was sentenced to a year in jail

Synonyms & Similar Words

• swiping
• robbing
• pilfering
• grabbing
• snatching
• lifting
• filching
• thieving
• appropriating
• misappropriating
• purloining
• pocketing
• nicking
• pinching
• snitching
• hijacking
• hooking
• nipping
• boosting
• ripping off
• picking
• seizing
• taking
• heisting
• plundering
• running off with
• making off with
• looting
• making away with
• burglarizing
• pillaging
• walking off with
• sacking
• shoplifting
• knocking over
• poaching
• grasping
• kidnapping
• abducting
• rustling
• rifling
• nailing
• carjacking
• mooching
• collaring
• sponging
• spiriting
• shanghaiing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• buying
• purchasing
• giving
• presenting
• contributing
• donating
• bestowing
• handing over

2

as in sneaking

to move about in a sly or secret manner

the teenagers were able to steal past a security guard and enter the fairgrounds without paying admission

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sneaking
• lurking
• slipping
• sliding
• crawling
• slinking
• skulking
• shirking
• snaking
• creeping
• tiptoeing
• mooching
• mousing
• pussyfooting
• edging
• inching
• padding
• worming
• ghosting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stealing

Noun

That’s base stealing in the Pitch Clock Era. —Chad Jennings, New York Times, 21 May 2026

But stealing isn’t negotiation. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 20 May 2026

Samaniego yielded a one-out single to Starling Marte, but the Royals only had two men on base for a matter of seconds, as the Sox southpaw threw to Durbin at third to catch Thomas stealing. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026

Edgington has prior convictions, including property damage and stealing, according to court records. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026

Like there was a little problem in the Bronx because of stealing, small quality stealing. —Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 20 May 2026

The art of base stealing and bunting is just in the toilet at this point. —Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026

Adolescents who used tobacco, got into physical fights or engaged in stealing had substantially higher odds of inhalant use and inhalant use disorder. —Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 15 May 2026

Justine Lupe has made an art out of scene-stealing. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 May 2026

Verb

Leto, who has done more than a few of these kinds of villainous cartoon characters, brings some scene-stealing sly humor and sharp line readings to his despicable Skeletor with a voice that sounds like a cross between James Earl Jones and Sir Ian McKellen. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 2 June 2026

Federal prosecutors charged him with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering and stealing money from political donors. —Bobby Allyn, NPR, 2 June 2026

Then Charlotte’s decision to sell their late father’s robotics company—and with it, beings like Cy—spurs Grayson into action, stealing the flash drive with all the company secrets and towing Cy along on his attempt at a corporate takeover. —Literary Hub, 1 June 2026

His shoulders sagging beneath the weight of disbelief, Roch Cholowsky trudged toward the dugout rail, stealing glances at the jubilant Saint Mary’s mob flooding the diamond behind him. —Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 June 2026

In 1998, Rodrigues de Oliveira Silva was convicted of stealing rare magazines from Brazil’s National Library Foundation, material then valued at roughly $750,000. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 1 June 2026

Over at JoAnne and Gary's, Orson is confessing to his stepdad about stealing his mom's gun. —Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026

At least four of them were observed going through MTA SUVs parked near the yard gate, stealing high-visibility vests and other pieces of transit equipment. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 1 June 2026

In a game worthy of the finest chess matches, Patrick Henry High School coach Sheldon Watkins and Ramon Orozco of Eastlake traded moves for seven innings — bunting, stealing and walking hitters intentionally. —John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026