theft

American  

[theft] / θɛft /

noun

1. the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny.

2. an instance of this.

3. Archaic. something stolen.

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theft British  

/ θɛft /

noun

1. criminal law the dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of depriving the owner permanently of its possession

2. rare something stolen

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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; see 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:

• theft vs. larceny

Explanation

Theft is the act of stealing something. If you've ever taken your sister's sweater without asking her first, then she's right: that's an instance of theft! The word theft refers to taking something from someone else without getting permission. Shoplifting is a form of theft, as is embezzling a million dollars from your business partner's Swiss bank account. In the United States, petty theft is the act of stealing anything worth less than $500, like someone's bike or a pack of gum. It's still a punishable crime, but you will get in much bigger trouble if you steal something more valuable, like a car.

Example Sentences

Kevin Diaz, 22, was arrested, and police said he belongs to a South American theft group.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

The scandal erupted in 2022 when the country's former spy boss filed a complaint with the police alleging that Ramaphosa had concealed the theft from beneath sofa cushions at his ranch.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Copper theft became so rampant that in 2024 the Los Angeles Police Department launched a specialized unit called the Heavy Metal Task Force to track down thieves.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

McSweeney reported the theft at the time but due to an error the location was incorrectly recorded as having happened in Belgrave Street in Tower Hamlets, east London, rather than in Belgrave Road in Westminster.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

They did find a witness who’d seen a man leave the Louvre the morning of the theft.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• break in
• burglary
• crime
• embezzlement
• extortion
• fraud
• heist
• holdup
• larceny
• looting
• mugging
• piracy
• robbery
• shoplifting
• thievery
• vandalism