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REFERENCE

steal

v. · n.
US //ˈstiɫ// UK //stˈiːl// steal
Irregular verb past stole past participle stolen
  1. 1 to take illegally (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to take something that belongs to someone else without permission and with no plan to return it.

    to take property belonging to another person without right or permission, intending to keep it permanently.

    Example

    Someone tried to steal my bicycle while I was inside the shop.

    Example

    The thieves managed to steal several high-value paintings from the gallery before the security team could respond to the silent alarm.
    Pitfall
    He stole the bank yesterday.
    He robbed the bank yesterday.

    You 'steal' an object (money, a car), but you 'rob' a person or a place (a bank, a shop).

  2. 2 to move quietly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Literary

    to move very quietly and secretly so that nobody sees or hears you.

    to move silently or surreptitiously, often to avoid detection.

    Example

    She tried to steal out of the house without waking her parents.

    Example

    He managed to steal into the library unnoticed, hoping to find the documents before the morning staff arrived.
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  1. 3 to copy ideas (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to use someone else's ideas, words, or jokes and pretend they are your own.

    to appropriate ideas, credit, or creative work without acknowledgement.

    Example

    It is not fair to steal your classmate's ideas for your own project.

    Example

    The comedian was accused of stealing jokes from smaller performers and using them in his televised special.
  2. 4 to take a quick look (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to look at something quickly and secretly.

    to perform an action, such as looking or kissing, in a quick and surreptitious manner.

    Example

    He tried to steal a glance at her phone to see who was calling.

    Example

    During the long meeting, she occasionally stole a look at the clock, counting the minutes until she could leave.
  3. 5 a bargain (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    something that is sold at such a low price that it feels like you are taking it for free.

    an item purchased at a price significantly below its perceived or market value.

    Example

    At only ten dollars, this designer jacket is an absolute steal.

    Example

    The vintage camera was a steal at the local flea market, especially considering it was still in perfect working condition.
    • rip off
  4. 6 taking the ball (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    an act of taking the ball away from the other team during a game.

    the act of a defensive player legally gaining possession of the ball or puck from an opponent.

    Example

    The defender made a brilliant steal and ran to the other end of the court.

    Example

    His record-breaking number of steals during the season made him a top candidate for the league's defensive player of the year award.
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *stelaną Proto-West Germanic *stelan Old English stelan Middle English stelen English steal Inherited from Middle English stelen, from Old English stelan, from Proto-West Germanic stelan, from Proto-Germanic stelaną. Cognate with Bavarian stöhn (“to steal”), Dutch stelen (“to steal”), German, Low German stehlen (“to steal”), Luxembourgish stielen (“to steal”), Danish stjæle (“to steal”), Faroese stjala (“to steal”), Icelandic stela (“to steal”), Norwegian Bokmål stjele (“to steal”), Norwegian Nynorsk stela, stele (“to steal”), Swedish stjäla (“to steal”), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (stilan, “to steal”). For the meaning development compare with Russian красть (krastʹ, “to steal”) and Russian кра́сться (krástʹsja, “to stalk, to prowl, to slink”). etymology notes Proposed etymologies beyond Germanic are numerous and include Proto-Indo-European ster-: compare Welsh herw (“theft, raid”), Ancient Greek στερέω (steréō, “to deprive of”) Proto-Indo-European stel(H)- (“to stretch”): compare Albanian pë/mbështjell (“I confuse, mess up, mix, wrap up”), Old Church Slavonic стєлѭ (steljǫ, “I spread out (bed, roof)”), Ancient Greek τηλία (tēlía, “playing table”) Proto-Indo-European tsel- (“to sneak”): compare Sanskrit त्सरति (tsárati, “creep, sneak up on”) and other forms under Pokorny 5. *sel- "schleichen, kriechen"

Idioms6 entries

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