Word
stolen
US/ˈstoʊɫən/
UK/stˈəʊlən/
Definitions
01past participle of steal
A2 · Elementary
v. the form of 'steal' used after 'have' or 'be'.
v. the past participle of the irregular verb 'steal', used to form the perfect tenses and the passive voice.
“The police discovered that the car had been stolen two days ago.”
“By the time the museum staff arrived for their morning shift, the most valuable painting in the collection had already been stolen.”
Usage
Requires an auxiliary verb like 'have' or 'be' when used as a verb.
Pitfall
Someone has stole my bike.
Someone has stolen my bike.
Use 'stolen' with 'have' or 'has'. 'Stole' is only for the simple past tense without a helping verb.
Synonyms
02taken illegally
A2 · Elementary
adj. describes something that was taken without the owner's permission.
adj. referring to property or items that have been taken unlawfully from the rightful owner.
“He was arrested for trying to sell a stolen laptop at the market.”
“The authorities worked tirelessly to track the stolen artifacts across international borders before they could be sold to private collectors.”
Etymology
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- A2 · Elementary
- Updated
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