Synonyms of theft

theft

noun

ˈtheft 

1

as in robbery

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

while violent crime in the city has decreased dramatically, rates of theft and vandalism have risen slightly

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

2

as in snatching

an instance of theft

the police found the stolen car an hour after the theft was reported

Synonyms & Similar Words

• snatching
• grab
• mugging
• swiping
• heist
• burglary
• pinch
• break-in
• rip-off
• holdup
• stickup

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of theft

The theft of four paintings by Renaissance master Antonello da Messina from a Sicilian museum has prompted suspicions of mafia involvement, given the startling speed and ease of the high-stakes crime, Italian authorities said on Monday. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

The approach uses other AI systems to examine models’ internal reasoning and behavior for unauthorized access, data theft, or attempts to defeat safeguards. — Alex Heath, Time, 18 Aug. 2026

To conceal the data theft and prevent transmission errors, the exfiltrated data was converted to base64 format. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026

There were also pending warrants out for Hilliard on two unrelated theft charges in Porter and Lake Counties in Indiana. — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026