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:
"Sadly, there had been numerous attempts by people to chop their nesting tree down and steal the eggs. I thoroughly enjoyed the task, and it was the start of 60 years of volunteering."
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The Dodgers need a real leadoff hitter who could work a walk, get a hit and steal a base and make it tough on a pitcher before your Nos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Kyle Tucker and Shohei Ohtani both drew walks, as the Dodgers’ only baserunners before the sixth — and Ohtani was thrown out attempting to steal second to end the third inning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Fields advised to never work with animals, because they could be difficult or steal the scene.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
A clever ploy to steal a moment alone?
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
In her 16 games this season, she is averaging 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
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
Ben Wang, as an eager young receptionist at a talent agency who steals information to help Gail, doesn’t really nail the part.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
“Well, her name’s not really Boots, it’s Margaret, but we call her Boots because in the winter she steals everybody’s boots and runs around in them and because of this musician my dad likes.”
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
The Ramones eventually retired because of interpersonal issues: Johnny stole Joey’s girlfriend.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
It stole my land, my work and everything I spent my life building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
“Unfortunately, someone stole a good amount of drives from our office desks this past week,” Sean Berney, a director for original film at Netflix, wrote in a June 25 email, according to the lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
In 2022, an independent panel said Ramaphosa might have a case to answer after burglars stole huge sums of cash, hidden in a sofa, from his private farm.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“It wasn’t Michael. It was me. I stole your stuff.”
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
It has also been used to find stolen cars and missing people.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The workers often juggle multiple aliases simultaneously, and can hold down several jobs under each stolen name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Two officers with the San Francisco Police Department spotted what they thought was a stolen car being driven through the city on July 4, 2024.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Police said at the time that "damage was caused to a door but nothing was stolen".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Instead I lay my sore head on my pillow and thought long and hard about how to uncover that stolen money.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
In 2024, David McBride was sentenced to five years and eight months after pleading guilty to stealing top secret defence documents and giving it to the media.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The couple spent their courtship sharing fun Covid-era activities, like stealing toilet paper, enjoying empty cinemas and stadiums, and taking selfies in front of dumpster fires, all to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.”
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
This was just about stealing test answers from a private company, Yampolskiy said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
"If we see, especially that overseas models are stealing from our great companies, we have the ability to sanction them because of this theft," Bessent told Fox Business on Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“How come this one walks in daylight? I thought they could only walk at night? There’s one that kept stealing some seeds from my nali’s cornfield. I think sunlight harms it.”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
