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Synonyms

sneak thief

American  

noun

  1. a burglar who sneaks into houses through open doors, windows, etc.

sneak thief British  

noun

  1. a person who steals paltry articles from premises, which he enters through open doors, windows, etc

"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 sneak thief

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

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.

Against stubborn opposition who have bolted the door shut, he can be Everton's sneak thief, nipping in through the side window to snatch the three points and leave the opposition bereft.

From The Guardian • Apr. 1, 2013

In Detroit, a sneak thief stole a wheel and tire from a minister's car, parked in front of a hotel.

From Time Magazine Archive

The "artist" is a sneak thief, and just as he attacks his "canvas" suddenly, his work attacks you.

From Time Magazine Archive

At school, where he feels "as though virtue had gone out of him," he becomes a sneak thief and is expelled.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher’s cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher’s treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and r-ran....”

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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.