theft
Americannoun
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the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny.
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an instance of this.
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Archaic. something stolen.
noun
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criminal law the dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of depriving the owner permanently of its possession
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rare something stolen
Usage
What does theft mean? Theft is the act of stealing. An instance of stealing can also be called a theft.A person who commits theft is called a thief. The word especially refers to a person who steals in secret and without using force or violence.In general, intentionally taking something that doesn’t belong to you is theft. The word most commonly refers to the stealing of money or physical property, but theft can involve the stealing of other things, such as personal information (which is called identity theft).The word theft often refers to a case in which a thief steals something without anyone noticing, at least not when the theft is taking place. In contrast, a case in which a person who steals by using force, violence, or threats of force or violence would more likely be called a robbery. Still, the word theft is used generally to refer to any case of something being stolen. In this way, a robbery is a kind of theft.Most instances of theft are crimes, but the word can be used to refer to an instance of stealing that wouldn’t get a person arrested. You might call it theft when your sibling steals a cookie from your plate, for example.A legal term for some kinds of theft is larceny. The word thievery can mean the same thing as theft, but it typically refers to the practice of stealing—thieves lead a life of thievery.Example: I don’t care that he only stole a few things—it’s still theft.
Other Word Forms
- antitheft adjective
- theftless adjective
Etymology
Origin of theft
before 900; Middle English; Old English thēfth, thēofth; thief, -th 1; cognate with Old Norse thȳfth, obsolete Dutch diefte
Compare meaning
How does theft compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
A shop owner who received an anonymous apology and £100 in cash for a theft which took place 15 years ago has said he would "love to find out who it is".
From BBC
"Malicious actors have exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack American households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft," the FCC said.
From BBC
That data—like any other personal data you’ve given out—is vulnerable to hackers, who may be able to use it for identity theft.
They were rallying ahead of a court hearing on a wage theft case filed by the United Farm Workers and UFW Foundation, along with 18 farmworkers.
From Los Angeles Times
Protective services said they had never seen a case like this and contacted police, but our attorney believes law enforcement may not act without proof of theft.
From MarketWatch
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.
