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.

Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• thieves
  plural

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

The spaces feature the newly released Huntington Collection wall covering by Morris & Co. in the iconic Strawberry Thief motif, pink ceilings and Alberto Giacometti-style lighting from Visual Comfort.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

There is also an anonymous reward tip line called Operation Cow Thief.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

“You should have mine,” the Big Thief singer and guitarist says to her bandmate Buck Meek, who plays lead guitar, sliding over her iced coffee.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025

Their 2003 album Hail to the Thief was this year remixed with William Shakespeare's Hamlet for stage shows in Manchester and Stratford-upon-Avon.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2025

“Scipio knows what he's doing. The Thief Lord doesn't steal handbags.”

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

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