petty theft

American  

[pet-ee theft] / ˈpɛt i ˈθɛft /

noun

• petty thefts
  plural

1. theft involving a small amount of money or items of little value.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• petty thief
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• petty thefts
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

petty theft

But Gonzalez said he told ICE hiring officials that he had a 10-year-old felony on his record for petty theft and he was told he wouldn’t qualify for the position.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025

“I do think we have a mutation of petty theft that we need to look at in a serious and deep way,” said Harris-Dawson, whose district has also seen “stretches” of streets targeted by thieves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2024

The sheriff’s office did not name the newspaper theft suspect in its statement, but The Plaindealer said the office had cited Paul Choate, 41, on suspicion of petty theft.

From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024

“This does not include general retail crimes like petty theft, shoplifting or poverty-driven crimes,” the AG’s office said in a news release.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2022

So, you see, even these minor distinctions felt like petty theft.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez