larceny
Americannoun
-
larcenies
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of larceny
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English larceni, from Anglo-French larcin “theft,” from Latin latrōcinium “robbery” (equivalent to latrōcin(ārī) “to rob,” originally “serve as mercenary soldier” (derivative of latrō “hired soldier, robber”) + -ium -ium ) + -y 3
Compare meaning
How does larceny compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Larceny is the legal term for stealing. Grand larceny is when you take something worth a lot of money, petty larceny when the stolen item is worth relatively little. Larceny is used when talking about stealing someone's property in regards to the law. If you illegally download music or plagiarize a text, that may be theft, but it is not larceny because there was no physical property involved. If you take a friend's yoyo and don't give it back, it's stealing — unless your friend calls the police and has you arrested on charges of larceny.
Vocabulary lists containing larceny
The Sun Is Also a Star
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A Long Way from Chicago
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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:
Hall also described the intellectual property theft of books used to train AI models as "creative larceny at scale".
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026
But in late September, Saks said its security officials got a tip that triggered an investigation, resulting in Kwatra’s termination and charges of fraud and larceny filed against him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
Shootings in New York declined to a record-low rate in the first half of 2025, while homicides dropped 23% and larceny also fell, especially shoplifting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Brentford were superior in every aspect, and had Liverpool somehow rescued a point it would have been grand larceny.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025
“And talkin’ about this morning,” the sheriff said, his face shading purple even in the darkness, “you stole my boat. That’s what we call larceny, Mrs. Dowdel. You could go up for that.”
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
Police Chief James White said the suspect “came on our radar a few weeks ago” when investigators were trying to solve larcenies in the area.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2023
Crime on the subway has jumped in recent months, with 94 grand larcenies in the transit system in September, compared to 64 in August and 55 in July, according to FOX 5 New York.
From Fox News ● Nov. 21, 2021
He and others believe Virginia needs to go further and do what other states already have: Allow for other crimes, such as larcenies, that people were forced to commit to also be vacated and expunged.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2021
Motor vehicle larcenies declined from 3,043 in 2018 to 2,661 in 2019.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 1, 2020
On remand for numerous larcenies: Mulch Diggums, the kleptomaniac dwarf.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
