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
Barrett answered in the bottom of the inning by driving in one run and stealing home to score another as Mountain View scored three in the frame. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 So far in 2024, faux FTC agents have been stealing about $7,000 per scam, a marked increase from the $3,000 figure the agency reported in 2019. María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024 The briefest of reprieves from the prison of remote education was summarily stolen from pupils again in the fall of 2020 when teachers’ unions forced city officials to shutter the schoolhouse doors again based on arbitrary levels of local viral-transmission rates. The Editors, National Review, 20 Mar. 2024 His strike zone was erratic and in the first inning was guilty of umpire interference when Padres catcher Luis Campusano elbowed him in the mask while trying to throw out Betts stealing second. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 In a desperate bid to hold Silvie’s attention, Amato reinvented himself online, crafting a confident, big spender alter ego by stealing $200,000 from his family in the months leading up to the murders. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 Since then, election deniers have become household names in the state, like former TV star Kari Lake, who failed to win the governor’s race in 2022 but continues to claim the election was stolen. David Gilbert, WIRED, 19 Mar. 2024 Boise State, the third from last team in, likely would have been out as well if Lamont Butler hadn’t missed a free throw with 15 seconds left in regulation two Fridays ago, allowing the Broncos to force overtime and steal a marquee win. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 The second half didn’t start any better, with Anderson stealing a lazy inbounds pass from Jay Pal and gliding in for an uncontested dunk. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
Noun
George put in work with 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 In this new age of steal and steam, transatlantic trade costs dropped by roughly 60%. TIME, 18 Mar. 2024 Then Domantas Sabonis came up with a crucial steal, leading to a breakaway dunk that put the Kings on top with 7.7 seconds remaining. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 Butler entered having recorded at least one steal and at least one three-pointer in 13 consecutive games, two behind Rafer Alston’s franchise record for that obscure feat. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 The Royals selected Vaz in the 15th round of the 2022 MLB Draft and the 5-foot-9 dynamo posted 30 steals across two minor-league levels last season. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Colorado Academy was led by George Buyers, who finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four steals. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Nate Pickens had 20 points, five rebounds and four steals to lead UCR (14-17, 9-10 Big West), which closed the game on a 16-6 run over the final 4:18 to secure the win. Staff and News Service Reports, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024 In the state final against Mitty last season, the 6-1 power forward had 30 points, 13 rebounds and six steals. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024

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 28 Mar. 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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