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shoplifter

American  
[shop-lif-ter] / ˈʃɒpˌlɪf tər /

noun

  1. a person who steals goods from the shelves or displays of a retail store while posing as a customer.

shoplifter British  
/ ˈʃɒpˌlɪftə /

noun

  1. a person who steals goods from a shop during shopping hours

"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

Etymology

Origin of shoplifter

1670–80; obsolete shoplift shoplifter ( shop + lift ) + -er 1

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.

The scene involves an unsavory routine on how to recognize a shoplifter.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

“And it’s usually because the loss prevention people don’t properly identity themselves and they’re usually not wearing uniforms so it’s not obvious to a shoplifter, so it’s somebody just grabbing their arm.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2025

A shopkeeper has revealed how he turned detective to track down a shoplifter after discovering goods stolen from his business for sale online.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2024

Several days before the election, I watched a shoplifter run out of a discount retail department store.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2024

Charlie, who accused her of being a shoplifter.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

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.