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
-
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:
“It starts to steal market share from equities.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
But Schusser said its new venture was not trying to steal customers.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Polymarket faced a major fraud attack in February where thieves linked stolen debit cards to accounts and tried to steal at least $10 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
“My expectation is that Hyeseong will be here during the off week and potentially be a conversation for the postseason because he has the ability to run, play defense, and steal a base,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
"You don't want to steal our secret recipe, do you?"
From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene
She is third all-time in rebounds with 3,571 and third in steals with 716.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Reese ended the game with nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
"The great Guinness robbery" is the Daily Star's top story, headlining on "truck gang steals 70k pints".
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Somewhere between the Pyrenees and Santiago, I learned that when life steals your momentum, maybe the answer is to just keep walking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
"Nobody steals from Rocky, man. He takes care of this 'hood. Nothing but respect."
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
Loui is battling Kao in court to recover the millions he contends Kao stole from the company.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Carlota Ciganda once again stole the show after Europe's top pairing of Charley Hull and Lottie Woad failed to ignite against the USA on the opening day of the Solheim Cup.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“It was systematic. They entered the depots and stole everything they could,” said Umaima Abdul-Rahman Al-Sanusi, one of the museum’s curators, as her eyes scanned a shattered display case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
PARIS—A pair of thieves stole four artworks from a French museum dedicated to the painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, in a sign of the country’s struggle to protect its cultural heritage following last year’s Louvre heist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
“How dare you suggest I’m anything like that witch! She stole that trick from me.”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The only run Snell gave up was the result of a double, stolen base and sacrifice fly in the third.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Khadikhel and Miakhel also admitted to conspiracy to remove stolen goods.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Alongside fear, many of those who spoke to the BBC expressed anger at the FBI for allowing the data to be stolen.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
He entered Thursday with a .309 batting average, fourth-best in baseball, while leading the American League with 46 stolen bases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Aunt Kitty’s eyes were darting between the trunk and the carpetbag, and I could tell she suspected one of them held Mr. Maroney’s stolen loot.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
"They target major companies across tech, finance, and retail, often stealing millions of customer records at once," the advisory said.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
In the superstar quarterback’s return from knee surgery, Kansas City dismantled the Denver Broncos 31-10 with a Super Bowl MVP running back stealing the show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Leroy Douglas was just 24 when he was jailed in 2005 for stealing a mobile phone and handed a minimum prison term of two-and-a-half years.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
But for the Bolts, favored by 9½ points, there would be no thunder stealing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
“I still think he could’ve done it. He’s always pulling rotten stuff at school, like stealing people’s lunches.”
From "Trouble at the Arcade (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #1)" by Franklin W. Dixon
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.
