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steal

Syllabification: (steal)
Pronunciation: /stēl/
Translate steal | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of steal

verb (past stole /stōl/; past participle stolen /ˈstōlən/)

  • 1 [with object] take (another person’s property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it:thieves stole her bicycle [no object]:she was found guilty of stealing from her employers (as adjective stolen)stolen goods
  • dishonestly pass off (another person’s ideas) as one’s own:accusations that one group had stolen ideas from the other were soon flying
  • take the opportunity to give or share (a kiss) when it is not expected or when people are not watching:he was allowed to steal a kiss in the darkness
  • (in various sports) gain (an advantage, a run, or possession of the ball) unexpectedly or by exploiting the temporary distraction of an opponent.
  • Baseball (of a base runner) advance safely to (the next base) by running to it as the pitcher begins the delivery:Rickey stole third base
  • 2 [no object] move somewhere quietly or surreptitiously:he stole down to the kitchen figurativea delicious languor was stealing over her
  • [with object] direct (a look) quickly and unobtrusively:he stole a furtive glance at her

noun

[in singular]
  • 1 informal a bargain:for $5 it was a steal
  • 2chiefly North American an act of stealing something:New York’s biggest art steal
  • an idea taken from another work.
  • Baseball an act of stealing a base.

Phrases

steal someone blind

see blind.

steal a march on

gain an advantage over (someone), typically by acting before they do:stores that open on Sunday are stealing a march on their competitors

steal someone's heart

win someone’s love.

steal the show

attract the most attention and praise.

steal someone's thunder

win praise for oneself by preempting someone else’s attempt to impress.
[from an exclamation by the English dramatist John Dennis (1657–1734), who invented a method of simulating the sound of thunder as a theatrical sound effect and used it in an unsuccessful play. Shortly after his play came to the end of its brief run he heard his new thunder effects used at a performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth, whereupon he is said to have exclaimed: “Damn them! They will not let my play run, but they steal my thunder!”]

Derivatives

stealable

adjective

stealer

noun
[in combination]:a sheep-stealer

stealing

noun

Origin:

Old English stelan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stelen and German stehlen

steal in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of steal in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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