steal

[steel]

verb (used with object)

stole, stolen, stealing. 

1. to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, especially secretly or by force.

   A pickpocket stole his watch.

2. to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment.

3. to take, get, or win insidiously, surreptitiously, subtly, or by chance.

   He stole my girlfriend.

4. to move, bring, convey, or put secretly or quietly; smuggle (usually followed by away, from, in, into, etc.).

   They stole the bicycle into the bedroom to surprise the child.

5. Baseball.,  (of a base runner) to gain (a base) without the help of a walk or batted ball, as by running to it during the delivery of a pitch.

6. Games.,  to gain (a point, advantage, etc.) by strategy, chance, or luck.

7. to gain or seize more than one's share of attention in, as by giving a superior performance.

   The comedian stole the show.

verb (used without object)

stole, stolen, stealing. 

1. to commit or practice theft.

2. to move, go, or come secretly, quietly, or unobserved.

   She stole out of the house at midnight.

3. to pass, happen, etc., imperceptibly, gently, or gradually.

   The years steal by.

4. Baseball.,  (of a base runner) to advance a base without the help of a walk or batted ball.

noun

1. Informal.,  an act of stealing; theft.

2. Informal.,  the thing stolen; booty.

3. Informal.,  something acquired at a cost far below its real value; bargain.

   This dress is a steal at $40.

4. Baseball.,  the act of advancing a base by stealing.

steal

/ stiːl /

verb

1. to take (something) from someone, etc without permission or unlawfully, esp in a secret manner

2. (tr) to obtain surreptitiously

3. (tr) to appropriate (ideas, etc) without acknowledgment, as in plagiarism

4. to move or convey stealthily

   they stole along the corridor

5. (intr) to pass unnoticed

   the hours stole by

6. (tr) to win or gain by strategy or luck, as in various sports

   to steal a few yards

7. to obtain an advantage over, esp by a secret or underhand measure

8. to detract from the attention due to another by forestalling him

9. to be looked upon as the most interesting, popular, etc, esp unexpectedly

noun

1. the act of stealing

2. something stolen or acquired easily or at little cost

Other Word Forms

• stealable adjective
• stealer noun
• nonstealable adjective
• outsteal verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of steal¹

First recorded before 900; 1860–65 steal for def. 5; Middle English stelen, Old English stelan; cognate with German stehlen, Old Norse stela, Gothic stilan

Word History and Origins

Origin of steal¹

Old English stelan ; related to Old Frisian, Old Norse stela Gothic stilan , German stehlen

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. steal someone's thunder, to appropriate or use another's idea, plan, words, etc.

Example Sentences

The court heard how the owner of the stolen taxi said the robbery had placed a financial strain on his business.

From BBC

He added that during the livestream, a voice could be heard saying "this is what happens to those who steal drugs from me".

From BBC

She was sceptical over concerns that AI creations would steal jobs from human actors because they "move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently".

From BBC

He gets the idea after seeing a billboard for “Mrs. Doubtfire” outside the Fox Studios lot and steals facial prosthetics from his father, who happens to be an Oscar-winning makeup artist.

From Los Angeles Times

Lushious now sees the upcoming Queerce as a chance to celebrate the quinceañera she never had and to fully own who she is — this time, without having to steal her cousin’s spotlight.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abduct 
• divert 
• embezzle 
• keep 
• kidnap 
• loot 
• pilfer 
• plunder 
• ransack 
• remove 
• strip 
• swipe 
• take