stole

¹ American  

[stohl] / stoʊl /

verb

1. simple past tense of steal.

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stole ² American  

[stohl] / stoʊl /

noun

1. an ecclesiastical vestment consisting of a narrow strip of silk or other material worn over the shoulders or, by deacons, over the left shoulder only, and arranged to hang down in front to the knee or below.

2. a woman's shoulder scarf of fur, marabou, silk, or other material.

3. a long robe, especially one worn by the matrons of ancient Rome.

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stole ¹ British  

/ stəʊl /

noun

1. a long scarf or shawl, worn by women

2. a long narrow scarf worn by various officiating clergymen

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stole ² British  

/ stəʊl /

verb

1. the past tense of steal

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Usage

What is a basic definition of stole? Stole is the simple past tense form of the verb steal, which means to take something that a person has no right to have. A stole is an article of clothing that resembles a scarf. If you stole something, you took it without permission or authority needed to make it belong to you. If you stole bread from the store, for example, you took it without paying for it. If you stole someone’s idea, you took it from them without asking first and presented it as yours. As the past tense of steal, stole can be used in all of the same idioms that steal is used in. If you “stole someone’s thunder,” for example, you used their plan or idea before they could. Likewise, if you paid a very low amount of money for something valuable, you might say that you stole it.

• Real-life examples: Bonnie and Clyde were a real-life couple who famously stole from banks and stores. Robin Hood was a (probably) fictional outlaw who stole from the rich and gave to the poor.
• Used in a sentence: My sister stole my excuse for why I was late so I had to make up something else. 

A stole is an article of clothing that is similar to a scarf or a shaw. It is worn around the neck or draped over one or both shoulders. A stole can be short, covering just the shoulders and upper arms, or long, usually reaching down to about the wearer’s hips. It is typically considered to be an article of women’s clothing, but stoles are worn by male members of the clergy belonging to several different kinds of Christian denominations. For example, Roman Catholic priests (including the Pope) will sometimes wear a stole as part of their holy vestments.

• Used in a sentence: Lorraine wore her fancy fur stole to the banquet. 

Etymology

Origin of stole

before 950; Middle English, Old English < Latin stola < Greek stolḗ clothing, robe; akin to Greek stéllein to array, Old English stellan to place, put

Explanation

A stole is a fancy scarf or shawl, often one that's made of fur. If it's cold outside, you might want to wear a stole over your ball gown. Stoles are typically worn draped across the shoulders, especially by actresses in old movies or ladies attending extravagant parties. Another type of stole is worn by priests in several different Christian denominations—this stole is a bright strip of fabric that's also worn over the shoulders. This is the original stole, from the Latin stola, "robe or vestment."

Example Sentences

You did that, and now your nose is understandably out of joint because you don’t know what happened to your 20% tip and you are afraid the restaurant stole it.

From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026

Kershaw, of Nefyn, Gwynedd, stole the money between December 2023 and October 2024.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

The disruption at Instructure follows a breach disclosed last week in which a hacker group claimed it stole hundreds of millions of records tied to students and employees at roughly 9,000 schools in the U.S.,

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

Prosecutors allege Hsiung, a 44-year-old lawyer and co-founder of two California-based animal rights groups, entered a facility that breeds dogs for medical testing and stole property: beagles.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

But it seemed to me she stole a stealthy look in my direction.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• fur
• jacket
• shawl