theft
Americannoun
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the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny.
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an instance of this.
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Archaic. something stolen.
noun
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criminal law the dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of depriving the owner permanently of its possession
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rare something stolen
Usage
What does theft mean? Theft is the act of stealing. An instance of stealing can also be called a theft. A person who commits theft is called a thief. The word especially refers to a person who steals in secret and without using force or violence. In general, intentionally taking something that doesn’t belong to you is theft. The word most commonly refers to the stealing of money or physical property, but theft can involve the stealing of other things, such as personal information (which is called identity theft). The word theft often refers to a case in which a thief steals something without anyone noticing, at least not when the theft is taking place. In contrast, a case in which a person who steals by using force, violence, or threats of force or violence would more likely be called a robbery. Still, the word theft is used generally to refer to any case of something being stolen. In this way, a robbery is a kind of theft. Most instances of theft are crimes, but the word can be used to refer to an instance of stealing that wouldn’t get a person arrested. You might call it theft when your sibling steals a cookie from your plate, for example. A legal term for some kinds of theft is larceny. The word thievery can mean the same thing as theft, but it typically refers to the practice of stealing—thieves lead a life of thievery. Example: I don’t care that he only stole a few things—it’s still theft.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of theft
before 900; Middle English; Old English thēfth, thēofth; see thief, -th 1; cognate with Old Norse thȳfth, obsolete Dutch diefte
Compare meaning
How does theft compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Theft is the act of stealing something. If you've ever taken your sister's sweater without asking her first, then she's right: that's an instance of theft! The word theft refers to taking something from someone else without getting permission. Shoplifting is a form of theft, as is embezzling a million dollars from your business partner's Swiss bank account. In the United States, petty theft is the act of stealing anything worth less than $500, like someone's bike or a pack of gum. It's still a punishable crime, but you will get in much bigger trouble if you steal something more valuable, like a car.
Vocabulary lists containing theft
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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.
See Examples For:
PC Harper was 28 years old when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
He faces three felony counts of grand theft by embezzlement and one felony count of insufficient checking funds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Though the west African country's oil production has historically been hampered by pipeline theft and allegations of state corruption and mismanagement, the June numbers mark the highest recorded crude production since April 2020.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Liu worked at Apple for eight years before joining OpenAI in January, according to the lawsuit, which claims he has taken a number of steps to hide the “full extent” of his alleged theft.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
At the time of the theft of the Mona Lisa, anarchism in France had a violent tinge.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
It sealed the vaults that house the copper wire with a “special glue,” Derdarian said, which has reduced the number of additional thefts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust - an independent trust which manages the shrine - held its first meeting on Monday after allegations of donation thefts surfaced last month.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Westgarth said although the National Trust occasionally saw thefts and vandalism on its sites, it was the first time he had be made aware of a plant being taken in this way.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
The thefts targeted rare Russian classics worth millions of euros in total, including by 19th-century literary greats Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
She told them a number of other stories about art thefts, some of the plottings ingenious and some a mess.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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.
