shoplift
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shopliftsimple
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shopliftssimple
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have shopliftedperfect
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has shopliftedperfect
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am shopliftingprogressive
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are shopliftingprogressive
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is shopliftingprogressive
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have been shopliftingperfect progressive
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has been shopliftingperfect progressive
Past
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shopliftedsimple
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had shopliftedperfect
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was shopliftingprogressive
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were shopliftingprogressive
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had been shopliftingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shoplift
First recorded in 1810–20; back formation from shoplifter
Explanation
When a customer in a store pretends to browse but actually slips items into their bag or pocket, they shoplift. Historians trace the first documented shoplifting to London during the 16th century. And although people certainly stole things before that, the act of surreptitiously lifting goods from store shelves hadn't been described as shoplifting before that. Today, big chains expect that a certain number of customers will shoplift — though they work to prevent it using things like cameras, dyepacks, and security guards — and describe the losses caused by it as "shrinkage."
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:
"Clients have said to us that we're lifesavers and without us people have admitted they would be forced to shoplift just to survive," Mr Lucas said.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2025
Entire carts full of items with no supervision at self-checkout is an invitation to shoplift, especially to those with limited resources.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
Mr. Hayes said people seem to be feeling less shame and embarrassment when they shoplift.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 13, 2023
According to the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, 1 out of 11 people in America, or nearly 25 million individuals, shoplift each year.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2022
He’ll know something’s up in the same way he always knows which customer is going to shoplift or who’s good for an IOU and who’s not.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
But her delusions of grandeur, as she shoplifts or fends off imaginary enemies, could earn her a place among the kookiest of women in Pedro Almodóvar’s oeuvre.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2021
Sam Allardyce regularly shoplifts penny sweets then just throws them out of his car window on the motorway.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 15, 2011
Conversely, if she shoplifts from the Georgetown Gap, we probably shouldn't impeach her for such a petty crime.
From Time Magazine Archive
Hotel LaChapelle’ was the most shoplifted book in Barnes & Noble history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
Meat and confectionary were the most shoplifted food items, but thefts of baby food, nappies and other essentials like toothbrushes and cleaning products also increased last year.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2024
“I don’t think any restaurant came up with so many ideas that were shoplifted by so many other places in so many other cities quite so quickly,” he writes.
From New York Times ● Jan. 10, 2023
In a press release, the business lobbying group said 56% of small retailers responding to a new survey reported being shoplifted in the past year and 50% said they believe the problem worsened.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 22, 2022
Officers, I can now affirm that there are no narcotics, explosives, or shoplifted gewgaws in my son's bag.
From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory
Inside the secretive lab shaping America’s retail landscape: At a Florida lab few have ever seen, a team of researchers is trying to stave off a purported epidemic of shoplifting.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Here, Corvette and the Velvet Gang realize that this is about much more than shoplifting some clothes and reselling them at a discount.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
More than 90% of people jailed pretrial were charged with offenses that didn’t even qualify for detention under the California Constitution: shoplifting, driving without a license, vandalism.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Nadja Spiegelman, an editor at the New York Times, recently coined the term “microlooting” to describe acts of stealing from big corporations, such as shoplifting from Whole Foods, and feeling justified in doing so.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
Art is what you can get away with, said somebody or other, which makes it sound like shoplifting or some other minor crime.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
