shoplifter
Americannoun
noun
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.
Ruth Lund, manager of Cherry Hill Garden Centre in nearby Middlesbrough, says this type of shoplifter has become a problem for her business, which has just installed new anti-shoplifting barriers to tackle the problem.
From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025
Salvador Villa was working as an armed security guard at a Target store in downtown Los Angeles late last December when he confronted a suspected shoplifter.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025
However, the boss of a firm that provides security for shops and supermarkets said that the type of shoplifter his staff is seeing is changing and now includes pensioners who are struggling with living costs.
From BBC • May 19, 2025
“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
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.
