petit larceny
Americannoun
noun
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(formerly in England) the stealing of property valued at 12 pence or under. Abolished 1827
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(in some states of the US) the theft of property having a value below a certain figure
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of petit larceny
First recorded in 1580–90
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.
Drago was found guilty of one misdemeanor count of petit larceny for stealing a bouquet and other items from the memorial that Rodriguez had set up to honor her teenage daughter, Kayla Cuevas.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
The “Fantastic Beasts” star appeared in Vermont Superior Court remotely with their lawyer for the arraignment to felony burglary and petit larceny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
In the week ending Feb. 6, New York City saw a 58.5% increase in petit larceny incidents, according to New York Police Department citywide crime statistics.
From Fox News ● Feb. 17, 2022
The organization actively lobbies the Virginia legislature and supported legislation in 2020 that abolished the death penalty, reformed the expungement process, and ended the “three-strikes” felony enhancement for petit larceny offenses.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2021
He thought of this and hundreds of other forms of legalized theft practiced by these men of church standing, who made it a point never to engage in petit larceny.
From Cupid's Middleman by Lent, Edward B.
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.
