thief

American  

[theef] / θif /

noun

plural

thieves

1. a person who steals, especially secretly or without open force; one guilty of theft or larceny.

   Synonyms:

   highwayman, pickpocket, burglar

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thief British  

/ θiːf /

noun

1. a person who steals something from another

2. criminal law a person who commits theft

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Usage

What does thief mean? A thief is a person who steals, especially in secret and without using force or violence. The plural of thief is thieves. The related noun theft refers to the act or an instance of stealing. In general, intentionally taking something that doesn’t belong to you makes you a thief. The word most commonly refers to a person who steals money or physical property, but a thief can steal other things, such as ideas, information, or intellectual property. The word thief typically refers to a person who steals without anyone noticing, at least not when the theft is taking place. In contrast, a person who steals by using force, violence, or threats of force or violence would more likely be called a robber. Still, the word thief is used generally to refer to someone who steals. In this way, a robber is a kind of thief. Most instances of theft are crimes, but a person might still be called a thief if they’ve committed a theft that won’t get them arrested. You might call your sibling a thief when they steal a cookie from your plate, for example. Example: I don’t care that he only stole a few things—he stole them, and that makes him a thief.

Related Words

Thief, robber refer to one who steals. A thief takes the goods or property of another by stealth without the latter's knowledge: like a thief in the night. A robber trespasses upon the house, property, or person of another, and makes away with things of value, even at the cost of violence: A robber held up two women on the street.

Other Word Forms

• thievish
  adjective
• thievishly
  adverb
• thievishness
  noun
• underthief
  noun

Etymology

Origin of thief

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thēof; cognate with Dutch dief, German Dieb, Old Norse thjōfr, Gothic thiufs

Explanation

A thief is someone who steals something. A thief can be anything from a cyberspace criminal mastermind who steals credit card information around the world, to the petty thief who picks people's pockets on the subway. Some famous thieves (notice the -v- in the plural) include outlaws of the Old West, like Butch Cassidy and Jesse James, and those notorious bank robbers of the 1930s with the memorable names — "Baby Face" Nelson, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, Ma Barker, "Machine Gun" Kelly, to name a few. They were so bold (and so brutal) that their activities became a major impetus for the beefing up of the FBI, under J. Edgar Hoover.

Example Sentences

Avery McTaggart, an agent at L.A.-based TBA Agency whose clients include Jungle, Big Thief, Remi Wolf and Ethel Cain, says the premise of an AI agent risks oversimplifying what booking agents actually do.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

There is also an anonymous reward tip line called Operation Cow Thief.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

“One day, Pusha decided he wanted to rap on a song… it was called ‘A Thief in the Night.’”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025

Hamlet Hail to the Thief was the brainchild of theatre director Christine Jones, who came up with the idea after noticing the play and album shared similar themes of moral corruption, decay, and dysfunctional government.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2024

The shop where so much of the Thief Lord's loot had been turned into money lay in a small alley not far from the Basilica San Marco.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• bandit
• burglar
• criminal
• crook
• mugger
• pickpocket
• pirate
• robber
• sniper
• swindler