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

Bucur had been stopped the previous month by a police officer in a car that had been reported stolen.

From Los Angeles Times

Kennedy not only steals the show but comes close to saving it.

From Los Angeles Times

JLR says it is investigating the hack, but there is no evidence at this stage any customer data has been stolen.

From BBC

New England is better overall, and Drake Maye is impressive, but Las Vegas finds just enough to steal one in Pete Carroll’s debut.

From Los Angeles Times

Prosecutors say the looted artwork was no longer at the house, but raids at other properties linked to the family have turned up other pieces that may have been stolen during the war.

From BBC

Related Words

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