kleptomania

or clep·to·ma·ni·a

[ klep-tuh-mey-nee-uh, -meyn-yuh ]

/ ˌklɛp təˈmeɪ ni ə, -ˈmeɪn yə /

noun Psychology.

an irresistible impulse to steal, stemming from emotional disturbance rather than economic need.

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Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

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Origin of kleptomania

1820–30; klepto- (combining form of Greek kléptēs thief) + -mania

Words nearby kleptomania

klepht, klepto, kleptocracy, kleptocrat, kleptocratic, kleptomania, kleptomaniac, klesha, kletterschuh, kleve, klezmer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for kleptomania

Another fancied it was a question of kleptomania or "something really weird."
The Brightener|C. N. Williamson
Its exercise would probably be classed with kleptomania and other like excesses of purely personal consideration.
The Soul of the Far East|Percival Lowell
Had Pistol lived in these days he would have said, 'Kleptomania the wise it call.'
The Book-Hunter in London|William Roberts
I recollect how there used to be a regular little joke at her expense on the subject of kleptomania.
She and I, Volume 1|John Conroy Hutcheson

He is as yet not ready to agree that some sex difficulty is the only conflict back of kleptomania.
Studies in Forensic Psychiatry|Bernard Glueck

British Dictionary definitions for kleptomania

kleptomania

/ (ˌklɛptəʊˈmeɪnɪə) /

noun

psychol a strong impulse to steal, esp when there is no obvious motivation

Derived forms of kleptomania

kleptomaniac, noun

Word Origin for kleptomania

C19: klepto- from Greek kleptēs thief, from kleptein to steal + -mania

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for kleptomania

kleptomania

[ klĕp′tə-mā′nē-ə, -mān′yə ]

n.

An obsessive impulse to steal regardless of economic need, usually arising from an unconscious symbolic value associated with the stolen item.

Other words from kleptomania

klep′to•ma′ni•ac′ (-nē-ăk′) adj.

Cultural definitions for kleptomania

kleptomania

[ (klep-tuh-may-nee-uh) ]

A compulsion to steal, usually without either economic need or personal desire.