steal
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: ball-games
baseball
basketball
computing
curling
engineering
entertainment
games
hobbies
ice-hockey
lifestyle
mathematics
music
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
skating
sports
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *stelaną
Proto-West Germanic *stelan
Old English stelan
Middle English stelen
English steal
Inherited from Middle English stelen, from Old English stelan, from Proto-West Germanic *stelan, from Proto-Germanic *stelaną.
Cognate with Bavarian stöhn (“to steal”), Dutch stelen (“to steal”), German and Low German stehlen (“to steal”), Luxembourgish stielen (“to steal”), Danish stjæle (“to steal”), Faroese stjala (“to steal”), Icelandic stela (“to steal”), Norwegian Bokmål stjele (“to steal”), Norwegian Nynorsk stela, stele (“to steal”), Swedish stjäla (“to steal”), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (stilan, “to steal”). For the meaning development compare with Russian красть (krastʹ, “to steal”) and Russian кра́сться (krástʹsja, “to stalk, to prowl, to slink”).
etymology notes
Proposed etymologies beyond Germanic are numerous and include
* Proto-Indo-European *ster-: compare Welsh herw (“theft, raid”), Ancient Greek στερέω (steréō, “to deprive of”)
* Proto-Indo-European *stel(H)- (“to stretch”): compare Albanian pë/mbështjell (“to confuse, mess up, mix, wrap up”), Old Church Slavonic стєлѭ (steljǫ, “I spread out (bed, roof)”), Ancient Greek τηλία (tēlía, “playing table”)
* Proto-Indo-European *tsel- (“to sneak”): compare Sanskrit त्सरति (tsárati, “creep, sneak up on”) and other forms under Pokorny 5. *sel- "schleichen, kriechen"
Inflected forms:
form: steals
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: stealing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: stole
pos: verb
tags: past
form: stolen
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: stole
pos: verb
tags: colloquial
nonstandard
participle
past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: steal
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: steal
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: stole
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: steal
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: stealest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: stole
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: stolest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: steals
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: stealeth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: stole
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: steal
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: stole
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: steal
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: stole
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: steal
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: stealing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: stolen
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: stole
pos: verb
tags: colloquial
nonstandard
participle
past
form: steals
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Three irreplaceable paintings were stolen from the gallery.
The problem is the two bicycles stolen from us.
They stole all my money (from me).
At length, one night, when the company by ſome accident broke up much ſooner than ordinary, ſo that the candles were not half burnt out, ſhe was not able to reſiſt the temptation, but reſolved to have them ſome way or other. Accordingly, as ſoon as the hurry was over, and the ſervants, as ſhe thought, all gone to ſleep, ſhe ſtole out of her bed, and went down ſtairs, naked to her ſhift as ſhe was, with a deſign to ſteal them[…].
"I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by—except steal. I never did that. I always made up my mind I'd be a big man some day, and—I'm glad I didn't steal."
Laura snatches coins from inside a truck to make a telephone call, scrounges shoes and clothes for them at a municipal beach, schemes to get a room key so she and Howie can sleep overnight in the Starlight Motel, steals a Jeepster from a deputy sheriff who's trying to arrest them.
But lawksamercy! While she is here, her youngest is, by pure chance, stolen away by a heroin addict who sells children for adoption by lustful Arabs.
Admitting to stealing the vegetables, Mohammed said, “Boss ah tief the thing, but not me alone.” The bhaigans were valued $100.
gloss: To appropriate without giving credit or acknowledgement.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
usually
examples: They stole my idea for a biodegradable, disposable garbage de-odorizer.
gloss: To get or effect surreptitiously or artfully.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: He stole glances at the pretty woman across the street.
Variety of objects has a tendency to steal away the mind too often from its steady pursuit of any subject.
Always, when thou changest thine opinion or course, profess it plainly,[…]and do not think to steal it.
gloss: To acquire at a low price.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
informal
transitive
examples: He stole the car for two thousand less than its book value.
He got that car for two grand under book? Wow, he stole that thing!
gloss: To draw attention unexpectedly in (an entertainment), especially by being the outstanding performer. Usually used in the phrase steal the show.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To move silently or secretly; to pass unnoticed.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: He stole across the room, trying not to wake her.
Dawn was stealing over the mountaintops.
At length, one night, when the company by ſome accident broke up much ſooner than ordinary, ſo that the candles were not half burnt out, ſhe was not able to reſiſt the temptation, but reſolved to have them ſome way or other. Accordingly, as ſoon as the hurry was over, and the ſervants, as ſhe thought, all gone to ſleep, ſhe ſtole out of her bed, and went down ſtairs, naked to her ſhift as ſhe was, with a deſign to ſteal them[…].
"Did he take his bottle well?" Mrs. Flanders whispered, and Rebecca nodded and went to the cot and turned down the quilt, and Mrs. Flanders bent over and looked anxiously at the baby, asleep, but frowning. The window shook, and Rebecca stole like a cat and wedged it.
A kind of tense peace, like the centre of a cyclone, descended. Not for long, of course, for already stealing upon one's hearing would be the staccato bark and thrust of the banker bringing up the rear.
When night had fallen, the she-demon stole forth toward the hall, which she entered unheard and unseen.
United's hopes of mounting a serious response suffered a blow within two minutes of the restart when Evans, who had endured a miserable afternoon, lost concentration and allowed Balotelli to steal in behind him. The defender's only reaction was to haul the Italian down, resulting in an inevitable red card.
gloss: To convey (something) clandestinely.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The fact that European Cuckoos steal their eggs into the nests of other birds has been generally known for more than a thousand years.
gloss: To withdraw or convey (oneself) clandestinely.
pos: verb
examples: They could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by their humble carriage and submission.
He will steal himself into a man's favour.
gloss: To advance safely to (another base) during the delivery of a pitch, without the aid of a hit, walk, passed ball, wild pitch, or defensive indifference.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To dispossess.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: However, until Gardner stole the ball from Dean Whitehead in the centre circle with the half-hour approaching, setting off on a run which culminated with a testing long-range shot - with debutant Obafemi Martins lurking, Begovic gathered at the second time of asking - Stoke looked the more credible contenders to break the deadlock.
gloss: To borrow for a short moment.
pos: verb
tags: excessive
informal
transitive
examples: Can I steal your pen?
gloss: To take or retell someone else’s joke; to use a clever phrase or expression from someone else in one's own speaking or writing.
pos: verb
tags: humorous
informal
transitive
gloss: The act of stealing.
pos: noun
gloss: A piece of merchandise available at a very low, attractive price; the act of buying it.
pos: noun
tags: figuratively
slang
examples: Near-synonyms: bargain, good value, value for money
At this price, this car is a steal.
He got that thing for just twenty bucks? What a steal!
gloss: A situation in which a defensive player actively takes possession of the ball or puck from the opponent's team.
pos: noun
gloss: A stolen base.
pos: noun
gloss: Scoring in an end without the hammer.
pos: noun
gloss: A policy in database systems that a database follows which allows a transaction to be written on nonvolatile storage before its commit occurs.
pos: noun
Synonyms: steal
abduct
abstract
appropriate
bag
bandit
bash and grab
bone
boost
burgle
burglarize
borrow
cheat
chore
commandeer
confiscate
convert
cop
cozen
crib
embezzle
filch
fleece
flog
gaffle
gilravage
half-inch
heave
heist
jack
kidnap
knock off
kipe
kyper
liberate
lift
loot
make off with
mill
misappropriate
mooch
moonlight requisition
nick
nip
own
peculate
pickpocket
pilfer
pinch
pillage
pirate
plunder
poach
pocket
prig
purloin
raid
ransack
rape
relieve
reave
rip
rip off
rob
run off with
snag
snatch
sniggle
snitch
swindle
swipe
thieve
walk off with
Antonyms: receive
purchase
buy
earn
donate
bestow
grant
return
Related words: stealth
bilk
burglarize
burgle
confiscate
pickpocket
pilfer
steal away
booty
hot
make off
sticky fingers
theft
thief
Derived words: besteal
close the stable door after the horse has been stolen
don't teach your grandmother to steal sheep
double steal
forsteal
instealing
kill steal
lifesteal
lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen
outsteal
resteal
scene stealing
scene-stealing
shop steal
stealable
stealage
steal a glance
steal a kiss
steal a march
stealection
stealer
stealership
steal in
steal someone's heart
steal someone's identity
steal someone's soul
steal someone's thunder
stealth
steal the bacon
steal the scene
steal the show
subclavian steal syndrome
unsteal
upsteal
coronary steal
Translations: