Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To take (the property of another) without right or permission.
- intransitive verb To present or use (someone else's words or ideas) as one's own.
- intransitive verb To get or take secretly or artfully.
- intransitive verb To give or enjoy (a kiss) that is unexpected or unnoticed.
- intransitive verb To draw attention unexpectedly in (an entertainment), especially by being the outstanding performer.
- intransitive verb Baseball To advance safely to (another base) during the delivery of a pitch, without the aid of a base hit, walk, passed ball, or wild pitch.
- intransitive verb To steal another's property.
- intransitive verb To move, happen, or elapse stealthily or unobtrusively.
- intransitive verb Baseball To steal a base.
- noun The act of stealing.
- noun Slang A bargain.
- noun Baseball A stolen base.
- noun Basketball An act of gaining possession of the ball from an opponent.
- idiom (steal (someone's) thunder) To use, appropriate, or preempt the use of another's idea, especially to one's own advantage and without consent by the originator.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In golf, a long putt which wins a hole.
- In cricket, to gain (a run) and increase the score because of the slowness of the fielders: said of the batsman.
- In golf, to hole (a long, unlikely putt) so that the ball just drops into the hole.
- To take feloniously; take and carry off clandestinely, and without right or leave; appropriate to one's own uses dishonestly, or without right, permission, or authority: as applied to persons, to kidnap; abduct: as, to
steal some one's purse; to steal cattle; to steal a child. - To remove, withdraw, or abstract secretly or stealthily.
- To smuggle, literally or figuratively.
- To take or assume without right.
- To obtain surreptitiously, or by stealth or surprise: as, to
steal a kiss. - To entice or win by insidious arts or secret means.
- To perform, procure, or effect in a stealthy or underhand way; perform secretly; conceal the doing, performance, or accomplishment of.
- To move furtively and slyly: as, she stole her hand into his.
- In base-ball, to secure, as a base or run, without an error by one's opponents or a base-hit by the batter; to run successfully to, as from one base to the next, in spite of the efforts of one's opponents: as, to
steal second base: sometimes used intransitively with to: as, tosteal to second base. - In netting, to take away (a mesh) by netting into two meshes of the preceding row at once.
- Synonyms To filch, pilfer, purloin, embezzle. See
pillage , n. - To practise or be guilty of theft.
- To move stealthily or secretly; creep softly; pass, approach, or withdraw surreptitiously and unperceived; go or come furtively; slip or creep along insidiously, silently, or unperceived; make insinuating approach: as, to
Steal into the house at dusk; the fox stole away: sometimes used reflexively. - noun Same as
stale . - noun An act or a case of: theft: as, an official steal; specifically, in baseball. a stolen or furtive run from one base to another: as, a steal to third base. See
steal , transitive verb, 9.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To practice, or be guilty of, theft; to commit larceny or theft.
- intransitive verb To withdraw, or pass privily; to slip in, along, or away, unperceived; to go or come furtively.
- transitive verb To take, and carry away, feloniously; to take without right or leave, and with intent to keep wrongfully.
- transitive verb To withdraw or convey clandestinely (reflexive); hence, to creep furtively, or to insinuate.
- transitive verb To gain by insinuating arts or covert means.
- transitive verb To get into one's power gradually and by imperceptible degrees; to take possession of by a gradual and imperceptible appropriation; -- with
away . - transitive verb To accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner; to try to carry out secretly.
- transitive verb to march in a covert way; to gain an advantage unobserved; -- formerly followed by
of , but now byon orupon , and sometimes byover ; as,to steal a march upon one's political rivals. - noun Archaic or Prov. Eng. A handle; a stale, or stele.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
illegally , or without theowner 'spermission , takepossession of something bysurreptitiously taking orcarrying itaway . - verb transitive To
get or effectsurreptitiously orartfully . - verb transitive To
copy copyright -protectedwork withoutpermission . - verb transitive, colloquial To acquire at a low price.
- verb transitive To draw attention unexpectedly in (an entertainment), especially by being the outstanding performer. Usually used in the phrase
steal the show . - verb intransitive To
move silently orsecretly . - verb transitive, baseball To
advance safely to (another base) during the delivery of a pitch, without the aid of a hit, walk, passed ball, wild pitch, or defensive indifference. - verb sports, transitive To
dispossess - noun The act of stealing.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He was sure that it was Striped Chipmunk's storehouse, and he wouldn't admit to himself that he was going to steal, actually _steal_.
Happy Jack 1919
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And why would it be bad for a person to model (what you called steal) their philosophy off of someone.
jillstanek.com 2008
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And why would it be bad for a person to model (what you called steal) their philosophy off of someone.
jillstanek.com 2008
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Stop believing in false gods like Sanford, or any of the myriad Christian evangelicals and politicians who cheat on their wives, hire prostitutes, do drugs, steal from the taxpayer, etc. Mike Moderate
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One of the rogues can steal powers from dead mutants, but is unable to steal from the antagonist because he managed to find a way to cure his mutation before his death.
Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books » Open Writing Forum 2009
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These days you apply for a license to steal from the public.
Eric Dezenhall: Waiting for Lucky Luciano Eric Dezenhall 2010
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To be blunt, many of our elderly are merely a bunch of selfish rascals out to essentially steal from the young.
The Budget Debate, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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Government under Obama is a very lucrative profession, they get to steal from the taxpayers all the time.
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It's actually a steal from the New York Times ... but it was so good when I first saw it that I had to grab it.
iPhone/iPod Touch tip: google calendar, gmail addressbook 2-way link melted_snowball 2010
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Iraq was held back by Iraqis 'beliefs that trust only extends to a narrow tribe, tribes compete for power on the basis of guns and violence, and government employment is a means to steal from the public rather than serve the public.
Culture or Institutions?, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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