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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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:
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.
Vocabulary lists containing theft
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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:
Commerce Department’s “Entity List” over national-security concerns related to a trade-secret theft scheme with military applications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Details of the theft only came out two years later when the country's former spy chief, Arthur Fraser, highlighted the theft in an explosive dossier that he sent to the police.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
He faces three felony counts of grand theft by embezzlement and one felony count of insufficient checking funds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
"No company should use Australian books, music, art or news to build or train AI without the artist's control... anything less is theft," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
In the Mona Lisa theft, we can see this toxic way of thinking in action.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
The city said it’s not yet clear whether the two thefts are related.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The rooftop thefts are a newer trend in the Pasadena area and have amounted to more damage than what the copper material is worth, Cuellar said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust - an independent trust which manages the shrine - held its first meeting on Monday after allegations of donation thefts surfaced last month.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
London has some of the highest rates per thousand people of personal robbery and thefts in England and Wales.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
She told them a number of other stories about art thefts, some of the plottings ingenious and some a mess.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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.
