steal
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
-
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
verb
-
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 stealthily
they stole along the corridor
-
(intr) to pass unnoticed
the hours stole by
-
(tr) to win or gain by strategy or luck, as in various sports
to steal a few yards
-
to obtain an advantage over, esp by a secret or underhand measure
-
to detract from the attention due to another by forestalling him
-
to be looked upon as the most interesting, popular, etc, esp unexpectedly
noun
-
the act of stealing
-
something stolen or acquired easily or at little cost
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
stealsimple
-
stealssimple
-
have stolenperfect
-
has stolenperfect
-
am stealingprogressive
-
are stealingprogressive
-
is stealingprogressive
-
have been stealingperfect progressive
-
has been stealingperfect progressive
Past
-
stolesimple
-
had stolenperfect
-
was stealingprogressive
-
were stealingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words for the World Series
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“So far, AI isn’t poised to steal portfolio managers’ jobs,” says Bryan Armour, a fund analyst at Morningstar.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
It wasn’t clear whether the ExploitGym problems the model was trying to solve were more difficult than the attack it mounted to steal the answers—or if they even found any answers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The White House said in April that it would work more closely with US AI companies to combat "industrial-scale campaigns" by foreign rivals to steal technology.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Salgado Araujo’s family said he might not have known the people in unmarked vehicles were ICE officers and instead thought they were going to steal his tools.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Not hungry enough to steal food from my gran, but hungry enough to steal food from the chickens.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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
He led Serbia to its first U16 EuroBasket title since 2007, contributing 18 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and five steals in a 99-86 finals victory over Lithuania.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 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
"I'm only kidding. You left your engagement ring on the sink again. Better go get it before somebody steals that, too."
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
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
Archer says Joby is hiding its dependence on money and parts from China, while Joby alleges Archer stole its technology through corporate espionage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Plus, Texas goes after Wall Street’s stock-exchange duopoly, and Apple alleges OpenAI stole trade secrets to develop competing devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Apple sued OpenAI and one of its top executives Friday alleging the AI company stole trade secrets as part of its effort to develop competing devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
In the end, Santa sculpts the group’s freewheeling ideas into a few concrete requirements: I have to repay Mr. Davis for the fireworks I stole.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
“Insurance is not included in your lease, and you may incur damage fees if the device is lost, stolen, or not returned in the condition required by the lease,” Apple noted.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Armed with stolen credentials of unknown origin, the AI interloper popped up a “swarm” of short-lived attackers that conducted reconnaissance of the Hugging Face network.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
She points to how one shopkeeper selling iPads was surprised to find that the teenagers hadn't actually stolen anything.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Police arrested Adeel Shams, chief executive of the company, who was booked on suspicion of receiving stolen property.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
If the Louvre was full of objects bought or stolen from throughout Europe, the Trocadéro was full of objects bought or stolen from everywhere else.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Almásy shelters Katharine in a cave and goes off to get help, eventually evading arrest and stealing an airplane to rescue her.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
After a bear was caught on video stealing food from his getaway on the lake, retiree Walt Pudewell last week paid $5,000 to have every door and window secured with electric mats and wiring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Footage from Friday showed Jackie sparring with two subadult balds who seemed intent on stealing her fish, according to Voisard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The participants giggle, nervously stealing glances from their prospective matches.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Small horned toad. Rude as it is spiky. It’s stealing my seeds for my science experiment. I figured you’re a Holy Being, it’s a Holy Being. Maybe you know each other?”
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.
