steal

[steel]

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verb (used with object), stole, sto·len, steal·ing.

to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, especially secretly or by force: A pickpocket stole his watch.

to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment.

to take, get, or win insidiously, surreptitiously, subtly, or by chance: He stole my girlfriend.

to move, bring, convey, or put secretly or quietly; smuggle (usually followed by away, from, in, into, etc.): They stole the bicycle into the bedroom to surprise the child.

Baseball. (of a base runner) to gain (a base) without the help of a walk or batted ball, as by running to it during the delivery of a pitch.

Games. to gain (a point, advantage, etc.) by strategy, chance, or luck.

to gain or seize more than one's share of attention in, as by giving a superior performance: The comedian stole the show.

verb (used without object), stole, sto·len, steal·ing.

to commit or practice theft.

to move, go, or come secretly, quietly, or unobserved: She stole out of the house at midnight.

to pass, happen, etc., imperceptibly, gently, or gradually: The years steal by.

Baseball. (of a base runner) to advance a base without the help of a walk or batted ball.

noun

Informal. an act of stealing; theft.

Informal. the thing stolen; booty.

Informal. something acquired at a cost far below its real value; bargain: This dress is a steal at $40.

Baseball. the act of advancing a base by stealing.

Idioms

steal someone's thunder, to appropriate or use another's idea, plan, words, etc.

Origin of steal

before 900; 1860–65 for def 5; Middle English stelen, Old English stelan; cognate with German stehlen, Old Norse stela, Gothic stilan

Related formssteal·a·ble, adjectivesteal·er, nounnon·steal·a·ble, adjectiveout·steal, verb (used with object), out·stole, out·sto·len, out·steal·ing.

Can be confusedburglarize mug rip off rob steal (see synonym study at rob)steal steel stele

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for steal

pilfer, kidnap, swipe, remove, keep, plunder, take, strip, embezzle, loot, abduct, divert, ransack, cheat, rifle, sack, appropriate, defraud, thieve, purloin

Examples from the Web for steal

Contemporary Examples of steal

In “Steal This Episode,” the filmmaker denounces Homer Simpson as an “enemy of art.”
Here’s the Lost Judd Apatow ‘Simpsons’ Episode, Penned by Judd Apatow
Asawin Suebsaeng
January 6, 2015
When they steal things, they want to get all the bonus points.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks
M.L. Nestel
December 19, 2014
Watch your back Liam Neeson, here comes Kevin Costner to steal your older-leading-man thunder!
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More
Kevin Fallon
December 19, 2014
Murderers tweet in Mexico; a history of Kansas City and did Picasso try to steal the Mona Lisa?
7 Must-Read Stories about Mexican Cartels, Kansas City and Picasso: The Best of The Beast
William Boot
October 25, 2014
And I am able to steal back what was stolen from me as a child.
NPR’s Smooth-Talking Millennial Whisperer
Batya Ungar-Sargon
October 7, 2014

Historical Examples of steal

If I cannot find one, I will earn, beg or steal the money to get them printed.
Ballads of a Bohemian
Robert W. Service
I steal into his sleep, and play my part among the figures of his dreams.
Other Tales and Sketches
Nathaniel Hawthorne
There are hundreds of them who steal because they don't get enough to eat.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
It never occurred to her that the girl might have been tempted to steal—and had not resisted the temptation.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Sleep did not steal upon the sisters at one and the same time.
The Wives of The Dead
Nathaniel Hawthorne

British Dictionary definitions for steal

steal

verb steals, stealing, stole or stolen

to take (something) from someone, etc without permission or unlawfully, esp in a secret manner

(tr) to obtain surreptitiously

(tr) to appropriate (ideas, etc) without acknowledgment, as in plagiarism

to move or convey stealthilythey stole along the corridor

(intr) to pass unnoticedthe hours stole by

(tr) to win or gain by strategy or luck, as in various sportsto steal a few yards

steal a march on to obtain an advantage over, esp by a secret or underhand measure

steal someone's thunder to detract from the attention due to another by forestalling him

steal the show to be looked upon as the most interesting, popular, etc, esp unexpectedly

noun informal

the act of stealing

something stolen or acquired easily or at little cost

Word Origin for steal

Old English stelan; related to Old Frisian, Old Norse stela Gothic stilan, German stehlen

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

Word Origin and History for steal

Old English stelan "to commit a theft" (class IV strong verb; past tense stæl, past participle stolen), from Proto-Germanic *stelanan (cf. Old Saxon stelan, Old Norse, Old Frisian stela, Dutch stelen, Old High German stelan, German stehlen, Gothic stilan), of unknown origin.

Most IE words for steal have roots in notions of "hide," "carry off," or "collect, heap up." Attested as a verb of stealthy motion from c.1300 (e.g. to steal away, late 14c.); of glances, sighs, etc., from 1580s. To steal (someone) blind first recorded 1974.

"a bargain," by 1942, American English colloquial, from steal (v.). Baseball sense of "a stolen base" is from 1867.

steal in Medicine

steal

[stēl]

n.

The diversion of blood flow from its normal course.