Definition of “steal” - English Dictionary

American

“steal” in American English

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steal verb [ I/T ]
us ​ /stil/ past tense stole uk/stoʊl/ , past participle stolen uk/ˈstoʊ·lən/

steal verb [ I/T ] (TAKE AWAY)

› to take something without the permission or knowledge of the owner and keep it or use it:

[ T ] They broke into cars to steal the radios.
[ T ] He never paid me back, so basically he ended up stealing a hundred dollars from me.

› To steal is also to do something quickly while trying not to be seen doing it:

[ I always + adv/prep ] to steal out of a room
[ T ] She stole a glance at her watch.
steal noun [ C ]
us ​ /stil/ infml

steal noun [ C ] (CHEAP ITEM)

› something obtained at a much lower price than its true value:

At half the original price, that designer dress is a steal.

(Definition of “steal” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

English

“steal” in English

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steal verb [ I or T ]
uk ​ /stiːl/ us ​ /stiːl/ stole, stolen

steal verb [ I or T ] (TAKE)

A2 to take something without the permission or knowledge of the owner and keep it:

She admitted stealing the money from her employers.
The number of cars which are stolen every year has risen.
They were so poor they had to steal in order to eat.

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

steal verb [ I or T ] (DO QUICKLY)

› to do something quickly or without being noticed:

She stole a glance at her watch.
He stole out of the room while no one was looking.

Grammar

Rob or steal?Rob and steal both mean ‘take something from someone without permission’. …

Idiom(s)

steal sb's thunder
steal a march on sb
steal the limelight
steal the show/scene
steal noun [ S ]
uk ​ /stiːl/ us ​ /stiːl/ mainly US informal

(Definition of “steal” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Business

“steal” in Business English

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steal verb [ I or T ]
uk ​ /stiːl/ us ​ stole, stolen

› to take something without the permission of its owner:

Employees who steal are dismissed automatically.
The number of cars which are stolen every year has risen.
steal (sth) from sb She admitted stealing the money from her employers.
steal a march on sb

› to get an advantage over someone by acting before they do:

Our chief competitor managed to steal a march on us by bringing out their software ahead of ours.
steal noun [ S ]
uk ​ /stiːl/ us ​ FINANCE

› a product that has a very low price, or a price that is much lower than the original cost:

The shares may be a steal, but investors should remain wary.
Their financial commitment for the land will be around $600,000, which Peter considers a steal.

(Definition of “steal” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples

Examples of “steal”

These examples of steal are from the Cambridge English Corpus and from sources on the web.

These examples are from the Cambridge English Corpus and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

In a 1984 case, jewellery was stolen from a house in which the defendant was a temporary lodger.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Throughout the nineteenth century there was some casual cattle stealing in most districts.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Thus, they exclude a range of offences, such as shoplifting and stealing from work, where the non-reporting is particularly high.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Making himself known, he was there to be stolen from.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Specifically, stealing was more strongly linked with other delinquent behaviors among boys than among girls.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Postoperatively, the collaterals shunt blood to the pulmonary circulation, effectively stealing flow from the abdominal organs.
From Cambridge English Corpus
In this case wives were stolen and transported to another region.
From Cambridge English Corpus
If he actually resolved to refrain from stealing, he could carry out his resolution.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Next a computer-simulated actor stole 10 points from one randomly chosen subject.
From Cambridge English Corpus
Strategy stealing does not give any hint about how to actually win.
From Cambridge English Corpus
The grocery store wants to stop carts from being stolen.
From Cambridge English Corpus
The stolen files have helped them attain success as, respectively, a business magnate and an actress.
From Cambridge English Corpus
People were stealing bread from those who went to the bakery.
From Cambridge English Corpus
People thought that we were stealing something that was general property.
From Cambridge English Corpus
They could be traded, hoarded, stolen, [or sold] and in these ways bring about [re]arrangements of power or status.
From Cambridge English Corpus

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