steal
Americanverb (used with object)
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steals,
present (3rd person singular)
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stole,
past
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stolen,
past participle
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stealing
present participle
-
to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, especially secretly or by force.
A pickpocket stole his watch.
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to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment.
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to take, get, or win insidiously, surreptitiously, subtly, or by chance.
He stole my girlfriend.
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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.
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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.
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Games. to gain (a point, advantage, etc.) by strategy, chance, or luck.
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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)
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steals,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stole,
past
-
stolen,
past participle
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stealing
present participle
-
to commit or practice theft.
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to move, go, or come secretly, quietly, or unobserved.
She stole out of the house at midnight.
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to pass, happen, etc., imperceptibly, gently, or gradually.
The years steal by.
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Baseball. (of a base runner) to advance a base without the help of a walk or batted ball.
noun
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steals
plural
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Informal. an act of stealing; theft.
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Informal. the thing stolen; booty.
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Informal. something acquired at a cost far below its real value; bargain.
This dress is a steal at $40.
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Baseball. the act of advancing a base by stealing.
idioms
verb
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to take (something) from someone, etc without permission or unlawfully, esp in a secret manner
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(tr) to obtain surreptitiously
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(tr) to appropriate (ideas, etc) without acknowledgment, as in plagiarism
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to move or convey stealthily
they stole along the corridor
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(intr) to pass unnoticed
the hours stole by
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(tr) to win or gain by strategy or luck, as in various sports
to steal a few yards
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to obtain an advantage over, esp by a secret or underhand measure
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to detract from the attention due to another by forestalling him
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to be looked upon as the most interesting, popular, etc, esp unexpectedly
noun
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the act of stealing
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something stolen or acquired easily or at little cost
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stealsimple
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stealssimple
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have stolenperfect
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has stolenperfect
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am stealingprogressive
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are stealingprogressive
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is stealingprogressive
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have been stealingperfect progressive
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has been stealingperfect progressive
Past
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stolesimple
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had stolenperfect
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was stealingprogressive
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were stealingprogressive
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had been stealingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of steal
First recorded before 900; 1860–65 steal for def. 5; Middle English stelen, Old English stelan; cognate with German stehlen, Old Norse stela, Gothic stilan
Explanation
To steal is take something that isn't yours: thieves steal. But a bargain that's so good it's almost like you're getting away with robbery is also called a steal. Stealing is what thieves do: taking things from other people. A bank robber steals money. A mugger steals purses and wallets. People also use steal in other ways. If someone wastes your time, you might say they're stealing your time. A store having a sale might say, "Our prices are a steal!" In baseball, a runner can steal a base. When you see steal, think "take."
Vocabulary lists containing steal
Baseball: A Lexicon
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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:
“He’d steal the toque off your head the second day, and the third day he’d steal your running shoes. He is not to be trusted whatsoever.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Miles, who starred at Notre Dame before playing a season at TCU, was drafted by the Lynx second overall behind former UConn star Azzi Fudd—a choice that already looks like a steal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
O'Neill said the club has a bargain in Duran and the early signs are that he was an absolute steal at somewhere between £4.5m and £6m, depending on who's talking.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
"I can't let the settlers steal my house while I was watching," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The theory—a Rich American commissioning a Consummate Professional to steal a Great Painting—caught fire.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game for the Lakers last season and said he was considering retirement strongly when the campaign concluded.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Vincent Walsh steals every scene he’s in as Sweeney’s henchman Eddie Breen, a lethal type with a brogue, slouch cap and his mouth half open most of the time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Leonard, a four-time All-NBA forward, averaged 25.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals over six seasons with the Clippers — he sat out the 2021-2022 season with an injury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
OK, the fact that Jennifer Coolidge steals the show also helps, as does the stunning cuteness of Buster the teacup chihuahua, along with the evergreen pizazz of the bend-and-snap sequence.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
Like the fact that Jakob has no idea that Beryl steals looks at him.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The Mayor of Villena, Fulgencio Cerdán, said the thieves "stole a large part of the treasure," specifically all the gold, El Pais reported.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Xabi Alonso began his Stamford Bridge reign with an entertaining 3-2 Premier League win at west London rivals Fulham on Monday - and their new-look front three stole the show.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Dodgers pulled away for good in the seventh after Ohtani singled, then stole second, and Freeman brought him home with a single to right.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The Ramones eventually retired because of interpersonal issues: Johnny stole Joey’s girlfriend.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
We took the old canoe and stole away at night, paddling as silently as we could.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Police are still assessing exactly how many items were stolen in the raid, which took place in the early hours of Friday morning.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Over three hundred bags containing 400,000 oysters were stolen.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
In the ancient world, plagiarism was viewed quite negatively: The word “plagiarism” actually means “kidnapper” in Latin, and the Roman poet Horace described literary theft like a crow making itself beautiful with stolen feathers.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Authorities have recovered nearly $30,000 worth of Lego sets that were allegedly stolen from a cargo train.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
If the Mona Lisa had been stolen in England, where fingerprints were searchable, Perugia would have been arrested almost immediately.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
"Obviously I don't condone stealing, but I really sympathise with any parent that finds themselves in a situation like that."
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
But in a pantheon of colourful characters, Count Binface, a man wearing a rubbish bin over his head, is stealing the show.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
A man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of burglarizing a Hidden Hills home owned by Kim Kardashian and stealing one of her cars, according to a law enforcement source.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
“The media industry is a growth driver for the AI economy, and those that tear it down—those that are stealing IP—are hurting growth,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
“We didn’t think it would be so bad. It’s not like we were stealing things that weren’t mine in the first place.”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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.
