ENGLISH
REFERENCE

thieves

n. countable
A2 Elementary US //ˈθivz// UK //θˈiːvz// thieves

n. people who steal things from others. You use this word when talking about more than one person who takes property that is not theirs.

n. persons who steal property from others, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.


SIMPLE

The thieves stole several expensive watches from the store.

CONTEXTUAL

Police believe the thieves entered the building through a small window in the basement during the night.

COMPLEX

Art thieves often target private collections because the security measures are less sophisticated than those found in national museums, making the high-value pieces easier to transport and sell.

Synonyms
Usage

The plural form of 'thief'.

Pitfall

The thiefs ran away.The thieves ran away.Nouns ending in -f or -fe often change to -ves in the plural; 'thiefs' is a common spelling error.

Idioms1 entry

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