steal

1 of 2

verb

stole ˈstōl How to pronounce steal (audio) ; stolen ˈstō-lən How to pronounce steal (audio) ; stealing

intransitive verb

1
: to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice
2
: to come or go secretly, unobtrusively, gradually, or unexpectedly
3
: to steal or attempt to steal a base

transitive verb

1
a
: to take or appropriate without right or leave and with intent to keep or make use of wrongfully
stole a car
b
: to take away by force or unjust means
they've stolen our liberty
c
: to take surreptitiously or without permission
steal a kiss
d
: to appropriate to oneself or beyond one's proper share : make oneself the focus of
steal the show
2
a
: to move, convey, or introduce secretly : smuggle
b
: to accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner
steal a visit
3
a
: to seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring
a basketball player adept at stealing the ball
stole the election
b
of a base runner : to reach (a base) safely solely by running and usually catching the opposing team off guard
stealable adjective
stealer noun

steal

2 of 2

noun

1
: the act or an instance of stealing
2
: a fraudulent or questionable political deal
3
: bargain sense 2
it's a steal at that price
Phrases
steal a march on
: to gain an advantage on unobserved
steal one's thunder
: to grab attention from another especially by anticipating an idea, plan, or presentation
also : to claim credit for another's idea
Choose the Right Synonym for steal

steal, pilfer, filch, purloin mean to take from another without right or without detection.

steal may apply to any surreptitious taking of something and differs from the other terms by commonly applying to intangibles as well as material things.

steal jewels
stole a look at the gifts

pilfer implies stealing repeatedly in small amounts.

pilfered from his employer

filch adds a suggestion of snatching quickly and surreptitiously.

filched an apple from the tray

purloin stresses removing or carrying off for one's own use or purposes.

printed a purloined document

Examples of steal in a Sentence

Verb They stole thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry from the store. He discovered that his car had been stolen. The store manager accused the boy of stealing. I stole a cookie from the cookie jar. They stole our best pitcher away from our team. His outstanding performance stole the show. Noun This car is a steal at only $5,000. He has 40 steals this season. a nifty steal by the defender
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The school janitor from Terre Haute, Ind., stole hearts, including that of judge Heidi Klum, and inspired with his earnest covers of Journey, Michael Bolton, and Survivor. Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2024 Washington noted Neto has figured it out both defensively — ranking 10th in MLB with 1.9 defensive wins above replacement — and offensively — hitting 23 home runs, driving in 74 runs and stealing 30 bases entering Tuesday. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024
Noun
The best candidate is Green, who also had six hits and more total bases than Ohtani, but fewer RBIs and steals. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024 In 39 games, Embiid averaged 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, a career-high 5.6 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.4 three-pointers and 1.2 steals in only 33.6 minutes per game. Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for steal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English stelen, from Old English stelan; akin to Old High German stelan to steal

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of steal was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near steal

Cite this Entry

“Steal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steal. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

steal

1 of 2 verb
stole ˈstōl How to pronounce steal (audio) ; stolen ˈstō-lən How to pronounce steal (audio) ; stealing
1
: to come or go secretly or quietly
stole out of the room
2
a
: to take and carry away without right and with the intention of keeping the property of another : rob
b
: to take in a sneaky way and without permission
steal a kiss
c
: to take entirely to oneself or beyond one's proper share
steal the show
3
b
: to accomplish or get in a concealed or unobserved manner
steal a nap
4
a
: to seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring
the basketball player stole the ball
b
: to gain a base in baseball by running without the aid of a hit or an error
stealer noun

steal

2 of 2 noun
1
: the act or an instance of stealing
2
: something offered or purchased at a low price : bargain

Medical Definition

steal

noun
: abnormal circulation characterized by deviation (as through collateral vessels or by backward flow) of blood to tissues where the normal flow of blood has been cut off by occlusion of an artery
subclavian steal
coronary steal

Legal Definition

steal

transitive verb
stole; stolen; stealing
: to take or appropriate without right or consent and with intent to keep or make use of see also robbery, theft
Etymology

Transitive verb

Old English stelan

More from Merriam-Webster on steal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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