purloin

American  

[per-loin, pur-loin] / pərˈlɔɪn, ˈpɜr lɔɪn /

verb (used with object)

1. to take dishonestly; steal; filch; pilfer.

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verb (used without object)

1. to commit theft; steal.

purloin British  

/ pɜːˈlɔɪn /

verb

1. to take (something) dishonestly; steal

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Other Word Forms

• purloiner noun
• unpurloined adjective

Etymology

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” ( long ¹ ( def. ) )

Explanation

You can use the verb purloin to mean "steal" or "take," especially if it's done in a sneaky way. If you sneak a dollar out of your mom's purse, you purloin it. Kids might purloin apples from a neighbor's tree, and a crooked cashier might purloin cash from her boss's convenience store. Originally, purloin meant "put at a distance" in Middle English. The word comes from the Anglo-French purloigner, "put away."

Example Sentences

That's why he has to purloin someone else's work in order to finish off his novel.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2023

The pangram from yesterday’s Spelling Bee was purloin.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2022

It is the first to show some T cells purloin a protein called CD20 from the surface of B cells, he adds.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 29, 2022

A series of turns leads Bunton, during an ill-conceived trip to London to make his case against the BBC license fee to Parliament and the media, to purloin the Wellington portrait from the National Gallery.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2021

He hesitated, then stomped back the way he’d come, stopping to purloin a clean shirt from another cabin.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Related Words

• embezzle
• filch
• misappropriate
• pilfer