Synonyms of thieves

thieves 1 of 2

noun

plural of thief

as in robbers

one who steals

a thief has been stealing wallets and valuables from the lockers at the gym

Synonyms & Similar Words

• robbers
• burglars
• kidnappers
• pirates
• stealers
• smugglers
• bandits
• pinchers
• hijackers
• purloiners
• embezzlers
• larcenists
• housebreakers
• grafters
• pilferers
• pickpockets
• safecrackers
• kleptomaniacs
• plunderers
• shoplifters
• looters
• cracksmen
• cutpurses
• pillagers
• cat burglars
• rustlers
• highwaymen
• picklocks
• carjackers
• abductors
• ravishers
• footpads
• poachers
• skyjackers
• despoilers
• kleptos
• muggers
• ransackers
• sneak thiefs
• dips

thieves

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of thieve

as in steals

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

someone's been thieving my cookies!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• steals
• swipes
• pilfers
• filches
• snitches
• pockets
• robs
• heists
• purloins
• hooks
• snatches
• grabs
• lifts
• rips off
• nicks
• misappropriates
• runs off with
• walks off with
• nips
• pinches
• appropriates
• loots
• makes off with
• makes away with
• burglarizes
• plunders
• hijacks
• picks
• boosts
• pillages
• knocks over
• rifles
• takes
• sacks
• seizes
• shoplifts
• nails
• spirits
• poaches
• kidnaps
• sponges
• collars
• carjacks
• abducts
• grasps
• rustles
• mooches
• shanghais

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purchases
• buys
• presents
• gives
• contributes
• bestows
• hands over
• donates

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of thieves

Noun

French President Emmanuel Macron gave a warning this week that thieves would be apprehended. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Today, thieves barely need to leave the comfort of their own couch. — Mike McRae 20, New Atlas, 21 Oct. 2026

Elliot Charles' work van was filled with tools before thieves took everything. — Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Proposition 36, approved by voters, increased criminal penalties for repeat thieves and drug users. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026

Europol has warned of an increase in museum robberies, with gold objects proving particularly attractive to thieves. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Notifications are either helpful nudges or time-consuming attention thieves, depending on your worldview. — Adam Clark Estes, Vox, 16 Oct. 2026

Just hours after the Louvre heist last October –– which saw thieves strike during broad daylight and make off with Napoleonic-era treasures –– another French museum was similarly targeted. — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

The thieves used an electric saw to cut through a fence, entered the museum through the ground floor and cut clips securing the frames of four paintings. — Sylvie Corbet, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026