purloin

[ per-loin, pur-loin ]

See synonyms for: purloin purloined purloining purloiner on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to take dishonestly; steal; filch; pilfer.

verb (used without object)

to commit theft; steal.

Origin of purloin

First recorded in 1325–50; Middle English purloynen, from Anglo-French purloigner, Old French porloigner “to put off, remove,” equivalent to pur- (from Latin prō- pro-¹) + -loigner, derivative of loin “at a distance, far off,” from Latin longē “a long way off,” adverb of longus “long” (see origin at long¹)

Other words from purloin

pur·loin·er, noun
un·pur·loined, adjective

Words Nearby purloin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use purloin in a sentence

When the news broke, in 2020, that Disney-owned Hulu was making a miniseries about Pamela Anderson, Tommy Lee and the purloined sex tape that shook the world, it came as a bit of a surprise.
Hulu's Abysmal Pam & Tommy Is at Its Worst When Paying Lip Service to Feminism | Judy Berman | January 26, 2022 | Time
If a thief gets a load of said bags, he'll pop right out of your mattress and purloin them.
Heinous Investment Advice | Andy Borowitz | March 23, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
Of course nothing could have been easier than for him to purloin the photographs; but what reason would he have for doing so?
The Silver Butterfly | Mrs. Wilson Woodrow
He took advantage of his position to purloin my money, and then turned me over to the county jailer.
Capturing a Locomotive | William Pittenger
She is induced by Iago to purloin a certain handkerchief given by Othello to Desdemona.
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1 | The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D.

She will usually attempt to purloin some trinket or other and be caught again.
Danger! A True History of a Great City's Wiles and Temptations | William Howe
From her sleep alone she could purloin the few minutes that she dedicated to her pen and her Gabriella.
The Wanderer (Volume 3 of 5) | Fanny Burney

British Dictionary definitions for purloin

purloin

/ (pɜːˈlɔɪn) /

verb

to take (something) dishonestly; steal

Origin of purloin

C15: from Old French porloigner to put at a distance, from por- for + loin distant, from Latin longus long

Derived forms of purloin

purloiner, noun

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

Browse