thief

[theef]

noun

plural

thieves 

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

   Synonyms: highwayman, pickpocket, burglar

thief

/ θiːf /

noun

1. a person who steals something from another

2. criminal law a person who commits theft

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of thief¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of thief¹

Old English thēof; related to Old Frisian thiāf, Old Saxon thiof, Old High German diob, Old Norse thjōfr, Gothic thiufs

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Prosecutors said the thieves were inside for four minutes and made their escape on two scooters waiting outside at 09:38, before switching to cars.

Read more on BBC

Two of the alleged thieves - who had been arrested earlier - later admitted their involvement in the theft, while the fourth person has not yet been caught.

Read more on BBC

Last month, thieves wielding power tools raided the Louvre, the world's most visited art museum, in broad daylight, taking just seven minutes to steal jewellery worth an estimated $102 million.

Read more on Barron's

Police say those arrested include three of the thieves.

Read more on BBC

So the thieves made a critical decision: They left the truck intact and jumped on their scooters to make a getaway along the Seine River.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.