1
: to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice
2
: to come or go secretly, unobtrusively, gradually, or unexpectedly
3
: to steal or attempt to steal a base
1
a
: to take or appropriate without right or leave and with intent to keep or make use of wrongfully
stole a car
b
: to take away by force or unjust means
they've stolen our liberty
c
: to take surreptitiously or without permission
steal a kiss
d
: to appropriate to oneself or beyond one's proper share : make oneself the focus of
steal the show
2
a
: to move, convey, or introduce secretly : smuggle
b
: to accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner
steal a visit
3
a
: to seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring
a basketball player adept at stealing the ball
stole the election
b
of a base runner
: to reach (a base) safely solely by running and usually catching the opposing team off guard
stealer
noun
1
: the act or an instance of stealing
2
: a fraudulent or questionable political deal
3
: bargain sense 2
it's a steal at that price
Synonyms
Examples of steal in a Sentence
Verb
They stole thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry from the store.
He discovered that his car had been stolen.
The store manager accused the boy of stealing.
I stole a cookie from the cookie jar.
They stole our best pitcher away from our team.
His outstanding performance stole the show.
Noun
This car is a steal at only $5,000.
He has 40 steals this season.
a nifty steal by the defender
Recent Examples on the Web
Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Last April, local authorities in Florida arrested two people who allegedly used skimming devices and counterfeit cards to steal over $11,000 at ATMs across Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Between January and March 2022, Olson used her position as a nurse to steal narcotics from at least 50 new moms, officials said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2024
Thieves were able to easily steal the cars with a screwdriver and a USB cable, a method that was shared on videos on TikTok and other social media sites.
—Tom Krisher, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Artificial intelligence has been seen as both friend and foe in Hollywood — a tool that could potentially make processes more efficient and inspire new innovations, but is also seen as a job killer and yet another way for intellectual property to be stolen.
—Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Both players must try to avoid the dragon, who lurks to steal their turns and stands in their path to victory.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Apr. 2024
The incident took place March 20 when a Walgreens manager told officers on horseback that a man had just stolen from the store, police said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
Barrett answered in the bottom of the inning by driving in one run and stealing home to score another as Mountain View scored three in the frame.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Reese and Tigers looking to repeat Reese, meanwhile, has helped LSU reach the Elite Eight with a double-double in all three of the team’s NCAA tournament games so far, putting up 16 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the Tigers’ 78-69 win over No. 2 UCLA in the Sweet 16.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Bound for unrestricted free agency in July, he’s done little to decrease his value on the court, posting per game career highs in points (21.3), rebounds (7.5), defensive rebounds (6.4), steals (one), field goals made (8.2) and 3-pointers made (2.3).
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2024
Freshman Nunu Agara contributed three points and five steals in valuable minutes off the bench.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
To sweeten the deal, this pair is a steal at 53 percent off at Amazon.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 24 Mar. 2024
Corey Kispert scored 15 points and Jordan Poole added 14 points with three steals.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024
That’s a steal compared to the larger $100-200 price tag at a smaller nursery supply shops.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
Avery had shown the world how to unpick the richest treasure box on earth and revealed the wealth waiting to be stolen from heathens’ pockets.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Last April, local authorities in Florida arrested two people who allegedly used skimming devices and counterfeit cards to steal over $11,000 at ATMs across Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Between January and March 2022, Olson used her position as a nurse to steal narcotics from at least 50 new moms, officials said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2024
Thieves were able to easily steal the cars with a screwdriver and a USB cable, a method that was shared on videos on TikTok and other social media sites.
—Tom Krisher, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Artificial intelligence has been seen as both friend and foe in Hollywood — a tool that could potentially make processes more efficient and inspire new innovations, but is also seen as a job killer and yet another way for intellectual property to be stolen.
—Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Both players must try to avoid the dragon, who lurks to steal their turns and stands in their path to victory.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Apr. 2024
The incident took place March 20 when a Walgreens manager told officers on horseback that a man had just stolen from the store, police said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
Barrett answered in the bottom of the inning by driving in one run and stealing home to score another as Mountain View scored three in the frame.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
Noun
His 990 steals and 4,474 assists with the team rank third and fourth all-time for Celtics players.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Reese and Tigers looking to repeat Reese, meanwhile, has helped LSU reach the Elite Eight with a double-double in all three of the team’s NCAA tournament games so far, putting up 16 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the Tigers’ 78-69 win over No. 2 UCLA in the Sweet 16.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Bound for unrestricted free agency in July, he’s done little to decrease his value on the court, posting per game career highs in points (21.3), rebounds (7.5), defensive rebounds (6.4), steals (one), field goals made (8.2) and 3-pointers made (2.3).
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2024
Freshman Nunu Agara contributed three points and five steals in valuable minutes off the bench.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
To sweeten the deal, this pair is a steal at 53 percent off at Amazon.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 24 Mar. 2024
Corey Kispert scored 15 points and Jordan Poole added 14 points with three steals.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024
That’s a steal compared to the larger $100-200 price tag at a smaller nursery supply shops.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near steal
Cite this Entry
“Steal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steal. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
steal
1 of 2 verb1
: to come or go secretly or quietly
stole out of the room
2
a
: to take and carry away without right and with the intention of keeping the property of another : rob
b
: to take in a sneaky way and without permission
steal a kiss
c
: to take entirely to oneself or beyond one's proper share
steal the show
3
a
b
: to accomplish or get in a concealed or unobserved manner
steal a nap
4
a
: to seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring
the basketball player stole the ball
b
: to gain a base in baseball by running without the aid of a hit or an error
stealer
noun
steal
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or an instance of stealing
2
: something offered or purchased at a low price : bargain
Medical Definition
steal
noun
: abnormal circulation characterized by deviation (as through collateral vessels or by backward flow) of blood to tissues where the normal flow of blood has been cut off by occlusion of an artery
subclavian steal
coronary steal
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