thief

 
Pronunciation: /θiːf/

noun (plural thieves /θiːvz/)

  • a person who steals another person’s property, especially by stealth and without using force or threat of violence: thieves broke into a house on York Close car thieves the thief stole the drugs from a doctor’s surgery

Origin:

Old English thīof, thēof, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dief and German Dieb, also to theft

Spelling rule

i before e except after c.

Spelling help

The plural of thief is thieves.