thief

American  

[theef] / θif /

noun

thieves plural

1. a person who steals, especially secretly or without open force; one guilty of theft or larceny.

   Synonyms:

   highwayman, pickpocket, burglar

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thief British  

/ θiːf /

noun

1. a person who steals something from another

2. criminal law a person who commits theft

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Usage

What does thief mean? A thief is a person who steals, especially in secret and without using force or violence. The plural of thief is thieves. The related noun theft refers to the act or an instance of stealing. In general, intentionally taking something that doesn’t belong to you makes you a thief. The word most commonly refers to a person who steals money or physical property, but a thief can steal other things, such as ideas, information, or intellectual property. The word thief typically refers to a person who steals without anyone noticing, at least not when the theft is taking place. In contrast, a person who steals by using force, violence, or threats of force or violence would more likely be called a robber. Still, the word thief is used generally to refer to someone who steals. In this way, a robber is a kind of thief. Most instances of theft are crimes, but a person might still be called a thief if they’ve committed a theft that won’t get them arrested. You might call your sibling a thief when they steal a cookie from your plate, for example. Example: I don’t care that he only stole a few things—he stole them, and that makes him a thief.

Related Words

Thief, robber refer to one who steals. A thief takes the goods or property of another by stealth without the latter's knowledge: like a thief in the night. A robber trespasses upon the house, property, or person of another, and makes away with things of value, even at the cost of violence: A robber held up two women on the street.

Other Word Forms

• thievish
  adjective
• thievishly
  adverb
• thievishness
  noun
• underthief
  noun

Etymology

Origin of thief

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thēof; cognate with Dutch dief, German Dieb, Old Norse thjōfr, Gothic thiufs

Explanation

A thief is someone who steals something. A thief can be anything from a cyberspace criminal mastermind who steals credit card information around the world, to the petty thief who picks people's pockets on the subway. Some famous thieves (notice the -v- in the plural) include outlaws of the Old West, like Butch Cassidy and Jesse James, and those notorious bank robbers of the 1930s with the memorable names — "Baby Face" Nelson, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, Ma Barker, "Machine Gun" Kelly, to name a few. They were so bold (and so brutal) that their activities became a major impetus for the beefing up of the FBI, under J. Edgar Hoover.

Example Sentences

Morning after morning, residents would retrieve the bottles of milk on their stoops only to find that a thief had skimmed off the cream.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Roco is “Hell Grind’s” protagonist, who journeys through a dystopian wasteland to save his fellow thief and love interest Lulu.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Comparison is the thief of living within your means.

From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026

We now know from court documents that the thief is alleged to have faked a handwritten note saying that particular item had been stolen in 1963.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Ms. Lena said the thief was spotted in New Orleans.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• bandit
• burglar
• criminal
• crook
• mugger
• pickpocket
• pirate
• robber
• sniper
• swindler