1
a
: the act of stealing
specifically
: the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it
b
: an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property
2
: a stolen base in baseball
3
obsolete
: something stolen
Examples of theft in a Sentence
The theft of the jewelry and other valuables was immediately reported to the police.
He was found guilty of theft.
Recent Examples on the Web
Frank Tyson was released from state prison on April 6 after serving 24 years on a kidnapping and theft case and was almost immediately declared a post-release control supervision violator for failing to report to a parole officer, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
—
CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
Darien was also charged with theft, retaliation against a witness and stalking.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Car thefts have climbed nearly 67% between 2019 and 2022.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Garfield's rate for Part 1 crimes in January 2022 — consisting of theft, drug offenses and motor vehicle theft — was around 33% greater than Phoenix.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
Abolitionists worried slave owners could use accusations of theft or other offenses to extradite enslaved people.
—Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 22 Apr. 2024
The arrests come a week after Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China to press Beijing over intellectual property theft and a slate of other issues.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 22 Apr. 2024
Peel Regional Police arrested a 54-year-old Air Canada employee and charged him with a conspiracy to commit an indictable offense and theft over $5,000.
—Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Each of them had two or more prior theft convictions.
—Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
Darien was also charged with theft, retaliation against a witness and stalking.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
Car thefts have climbed nearly 67% between 2019 and 2022.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Garfield's rate for Part 1 crimes in January 2022 — consisting of theft, drug offenses and motor vehicle theft — was around 33% greater than Phoenix.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
Abolitionists worried slave owners could use accusations of theft or other offenses to extradite enslaved people.
—Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 22 Apr. 2024
The arrests come a week after Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China to press Beijing over intellectual property theft and a slate of other issues.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 22 Apr. 2024
Peel Regional Police arrested a 54-year-old Air Canada employee and charged him with a conspiracy to commit an indictable offense and theft over $5,000.
—Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Each of them had two or more prior theft convictions.
—Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'theft.' 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 theft
Cite this Entry
“Theft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theft. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
theft
noun
: the act of stealing
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