theft

[theft]

noun

1. the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny.

2. an instance of this.

3. Archaic.,  something stolen.

theft

/ θɛft /

noun

1. criminal law the dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of depriving the owner permanently of its possession

2. rare,  something stolen

Other Word Forms

• antitheft adjective
• theftless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of theft¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English thēfth, thēofth; thief, -th ¹; cognate with Old Norse thȳfth, obsolete Dutch diefte

Word History and Origins

Origin of theft¹

Old English thēofth; related to Old Norse thӯfth, Old Frisian thiūvethe, Middle Dutch düfte; see _thief

Example Sentences

If elected, Sliwa said he would hire 7,000 more police officers and do more to end building package theft and drugstore shoplifting.

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The Gen Z protests, as they’re known here, began in opposition to tax hikes, but have come to reflect anger about youth unemployment and the theft of public monies by government officials.

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He was arrested, accused of theft and spent 17 years behind bars.

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Following a jail stint for assault and theft, Mike gets a probation officer, a room at a hostel and a cook job at a shabby hotel.

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Detectives from the Beverly Hills Police Department arrested him in 2021 for burglary and theft, according to a probation report.

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Related Words

• break in 
• burglary 
• crime 
• embezzlement 
• extortion 
• fraud 
• heist 
• holdup 
• larceny 
• looting www.thesaurus.com
• mugging 
• piracy 
• robbery 
• shoplifting www.thesaurus.com
• thievery 
• vandalism 

When To Use

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.