larceny
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of larceny
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English larceni, from Anglo-French larcin “theft,” from Latin latrōcinium “robbery” (equivalent to latrōcin(ārī) “to rob,” originally “serve as mercenary soldier” (derivative of latrō “hired soldier, robber”) + -ium -ium ) + -y 3
Compare meaning
How does larceny compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Larceny is the legal term for stealing. Grand larceny is when you take something worth a lot of money, petty larceny when the stolen item is worth relatively little. Larceny is used when talking about stealing someone's property in regards to the law. If you illegally download music or plagiarize a text, that may be theft, but it is not larceny because there was no physical property involved. If you take a friend's yoyo and don't give it back, it's stealing — unless your friend calls the police and has you arrested on charges of larceny.
Vocabulary lists containing larceny
The Sun Is Also a Star
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A Long Way from Chicago
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Oliver Twist
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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:
He arrived at Liverpool from AS Roma on 23 June 2017 for £34m, a fee now resembling an act of grand larceny when set against what he subsequently achieved.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
Saks has also been dealing with a public-relations challenge after a stylist in its Boston store was charged with fraud and larceny.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
The bill would require immigration agents to take into custody people who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2025
One critic noted that "when Maggie Smith is on the screen, the picture moves," and Burton afterwards teasingly described her upstaging of him as "grand larceny."
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2024
Red Tie shifts his attention back to the petty larceny.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
In a different example, he directed prosecutors to reduce armed robbery cases to petit larcenies, barring certain circumstances.
From Fox News ● Jan. 20, 2022
Aggravated assaults are up this year, while larcenies and robberies are down.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 15, 2021
Motor vehicle larcenies declined from 3,043 in 2018 to 2,661 in 2019.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 1, 2020
Even with crime rates falling sharply, there were still more than 68,000 robberies, burglaries and larcenies in New York City last year.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2019
On remand for numerous larcenies: Mulch Diggums, the kleptomaniac dwarf.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
