purloin

[ per-loin, pur-loin ]

verb (used with object)

1. to take dishonestly; steal; filch; pilfer.

verb (used without object)

1. to commit theft; steal.

purloin

/ pɜːˈlɔɪn /

verb

1. to take (something) dishonestly; steal

Derived Forms

• purˈloiner, noun

Other Words From

• pur·loiner noun
• unpur·loined adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of purloin¹

First recorded in 1325–50; Middle English purloynen, from Anglo-French purloigner, Old French porloigner “to put off, remove,” equivalent to pur- (from Latin prō- pro- ¹ ) + -loigner, derivative of loin “at a distance, far off,” from Latin longē “a long way off,” adverb of longus “long” ( long ¹( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of purloin¹

C15: from Old French porloigner to put at a distance, from por- for + loin distant, from Latin longus long

Example Sentences

A simple but effective way to stop auto bandits from purloining your key fob signal is to use a Faraday bag or pouch.

From Seattle Times

According to the previously unreported federal conviction, Bird, then 30 and living in Sunnyside, Yakima County, falsified a 1991 credit application “with intent to steal and purloin” funds from U.S.

From Seattle Times

Four middle-aged suspects were arrested in Southern California this week when officers found them in possession of roughly $300,000 worth of purloined Lego sets, according to the California Highway Patrol.

From Los Angeles Times

He now plays Arthur, an Englishman in 1980s Italy with a mysterious gift for finding Etruscan tombs, which he and his crew then rob, selling the purloined artifacts to an antiquities dealer.

From Los Angeles Times

However the records Trump purloined are characterized, it remains a crime under the Espionage Act to willfully retain national defense information, which the documents at the center of this case clearly are.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• embezzle
• filch
• misappropriate
• pilfer