pilfer
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- pilferer noun
- pilfering noun
- unpilfered adjective
Etymology
Origin of pilfer
1540–50; v. use of late Middle English pilfre booty < Middle French pelfre. See pelf
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But when Uncle Murray refuses to pay up, and Marty has to pilfer the money for his trip, the road to global eminence takes some sharp turns.
From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025
Now she should pilfer another, helping middle-class families in California and other high-tax states.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2024
The reason is that if hackers pilfer your password from one service, they can try it on your other accounts and easily get into all of them.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2024
A tuba is also much harder for a thief to pilfer than, say, a piccolo, or even a trumpet.
From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2024
That she was not likely to wear his clothes, use his razors, or pilfer his tobacco was half a bachelor's domestic problem solved at the very outset.
From The Transgression of Andrew Vane a novel by Carryl, Guy Wetmore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
