thieve
Americanverb (used with object)
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thieves,
present (3rd person singular)
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thieved,
past participle, past
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thieving
present participle
verb (used without object)
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thieves,
present (3rd person singular)
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thieved,
past participle, past
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thieving
present participle
verb
Usage
What does thieve mean? To thieve is to steal—to commit theft. A person who thieves is a thief. The words thief and theft are often used in situations in which a person steals in secret and without using force or violence. However, the word thieve is used in the context of all kinds of thefts, even violent ones. Thieve often implies that such thieving is done habitually or as part of a criminal lifestyle. The related word thievery can mean the same thing as theft, but it typically refers to the practice of thieving—thieves lead a life of thieving and thievery. Thieve is sometimes followed by the thing that will be or has been stolen, as in I just realized my kids have been thieving the coins from the fountain. Thieve should not be confused with a form of the noun thief or its plural, thieves. Example: He is a pirate, a rogue—he thieves and plunders without remorse.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thievesimple
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thievessimple
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have thievedperfect
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has thievedperfect
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am thievingprogressive
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are thievingprogressive
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is thievingprogressive
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have been thievingperfect progressive
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has been thievingperfect progressive
Past
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thievedsimple
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had thievedperfect
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was thievingprogressive
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were thievingprogressive
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had been thievingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thieve
before 950; Old English thēofian, derivative of theōf thief (not recorded in ME)
Explanation
When someone steals something, they thieve. Your dog thieves when he puts his paws on the kitchen table and quietly grabs your cinnamon toast. You're more likely to encounter the adjective thieving than the verb thieve, but it's a perfectly good way to say "take illegally." Your brother might think it's perfectly acceptable to thieve a few gummy bears from the candy store where he works, although the store's owner might have a different opinion. At the root of thieve is the Old English þeof, or "thief."
Vocabulary lists containing thieve
"Riddles in the Dark"
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"To a Mouse" by Robert Burns
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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:
The Nats have led the majors in stolen bases all season, rejecting a trend: Never risk an out — and a chance to swing for the fences — to thieve one measly base.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 27, 2019
The scouting report is out, and they start to thieve second like it’s a jewelry store with a salamander for a security guard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2016
Four Women Simone’s interpretations of existing songs were so emphatic that other artists would often thieve her version rather than the original performer’s.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 2, 2016
The motherbirds thieve the air To appease them.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 31, 2014
No one but Kunthi, coming stealthily by night to thieve from us what little we had, unashamed as she was and always had been.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
The Mayor of Villena, Fulgencio Cerdán, said the thieves "stole a large part of the treasure," specifically all the gold, El Pais reported.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Flock Safety claims over 5,000 law enforcement agencies use its license plate readers to help locate missing persons, catch thieves and identify suspicious vehicles.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
He desires respectability, but savors the buzz, the camaraderie — the honor among thieves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Crypto accounts, bank accounts and even eBay accounts are also vulnerable to phishing scams where thieves send an email with a link and implore you to click.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Somehow, they thought we were a part of some grand circle of thieves, but we were innocent.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Nate Craig, a vocal fan of Pilates classes featuring large glass windows, admits, “A couple of years ago I got my identity stolen … thieved … married is what I meant.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023
More dogs were thieved than any other pet by more than 1,000.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2022
You feel the presence of many, many others around you in here and you want to know who these people are who were thieved of identity when they were rendered collectibles.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 4, 2020
Timbers said, “The theatrical engine of building the whole thing just from a person with a boom box—I have certainly thieved that many times in my own work.”
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 13, 2017
As the boys ran off with the thieved chocolate, Danny zipped his backpack shut again and ate his lunch in silence while the other kids sat in groups.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
“The last thing we need is a loud, water thieving, light polluting, data center anywhere near our town,” Nelson wrote late last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Julius, meanwhile, becomes a card-cheat spotter for a casino as an act of atonement for his thieving ways — it’s easy to buy Elordi’s take on ’50s rogue sensitivity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025
The seeds were there—not to make the case that Bankman-Fried was innocent or a victim of circumstance, but that he was the type of thieving fraud worthy of some extra consideration.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2024
Sentencing, the district judge said: "Seemingly, even the birds are not beyond your thieving grasp. You may conceive of these as just eggs but they are protected. This was a deplorable thing to do."
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2024
Indeed, a sizable faction refused to accept the fact that two unknown men, two thieving strangers, were solely responsible.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Definitions 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.
