ENGLISH
REFERENCE

stolen

v.
A2 Elementary US //ˈstoʊɫən// UK //stˈəʊlən// stolen

v. the past participle of 'steal'. You use it to describe something that someone took without permission or without paying.

v. the past participle of 'steal'. Functions as the perfective aspect or passive voice form of the base verb.


SIMPLE

The police found the stolen car in a nearby town.

CONTEXTUAL

She realized her wallet was stolen only after she reached the checkout counter and couldn't find it.

COMPLEX

The museum curator confirmed that several priceless artifacts had been stolen during the night, despite the presence of advanced motion sensors and security guards.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English stolen, istolen, from Old English stolen, ġestolen, from Proto-Germanic stulanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic stelaną (“to steal”), equivalent to stole + -en. Cognate with Scots stellin, stollin (“stolen”), Saterland Frisian stäälen (“stolen”), West Frisian stellen (“stolen”), Dutch gestolen (“stolen”), German Low German stohlen (“stolen”), German gestohlen (“stolen”), Swedish stulen (“stolen”).

Usage

As a past participle, it is used with 'have' to form perfect tenses or with 'be' for the passive voice; it also frequently functions as an attributive adjective.

Pitfall

Someone has stole my bike.Someone has stolen my bike.Learners often confuse the simple past 'stole' with the past participle 'stolen' when forming the present perfect.

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