steal

To steal is to take something, especially something that does not belong to you or to do something in a quick way, hoping not to be noticed.

(verb)

  1. An example of steal is when you take someone's wallet.
  2. An example of steal is when you pretend that someone else's ideas or work are your own.
  3. An example of steal is when you give someone a spontaneous kiss when not expected.
  4. An example of steal is when you quickly glance at someone and then look away, hoping not to be noticed.

The definition of a steal is a great bargain or the act of taking goods that don't belong to you.

(noun)

An example of a steal is an expensive designer bag you get at a garage sale for $2.

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See steal in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb stole, stolen, stealing

  1. to take or appropriate (another's property, ideas, etc.) without permission, dishonestly, or unlawfully, esp. in a secret or surreptitious manner
  2. to get, take, or give slyly, surreptitiously, or without permission: to steal a look, to steal a kiss
  3. to take or gain insidiously or artfully: to steal someone's heart, to steal the puck in hockey
  4. to be the outstanding performer in (a scene, act, etc.), esp. in a subordinate role
  5. to move, put, carry, or convey surreptitiously or stealthily (in, into, from, away, etc.)
  6. Baseball to gain (a base) safely without the help of a hit, walk, or error, usually by running to it from another base while the pitch is being delivered

Origin: ME stelen < OE stælan, akin to Ger stehlen, prob. altered < IE base *ster-, to rob > Gr sterein, to rob

intransitive verb

  1. to be a thief; practice theft
  2. to move, pass, etc. stealthily, quietly, gradually, or without being noticed
  3. Baseball to steal or attempt to steal a base

noun

  1. an act of stealing
  2. something stolen
  3. something obtained at a ludicrously low cost

Related Forms:

See steal in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb stole stole (stōl), sto·len (stōˈlən), steal·ing, steals
verb, transitive
  1. To take (the property of another) without right or permission.
  2. To present or use (someone else's words or ideas) as one's own.
  3. To get or take secretly or artfully: steal a look at a diary; steal the puck from an opponent.
  4. To give or enjoy (a kiss) that is unexpected or unnoticed.
  5. To draw attention unexpectedly in (an entertainment), especially by being the outstanding performer: The magician's assistant stole the show with her comic antics.
  6. Baseball To advance safely to (another base) during the delivery of a pitch, without the aid of a base hit, walk, passed ball, or wild pitch.
verb, intransitive
  1. To commit theft.
  2. To move, happen, or elapse stealthily or unobtrusively.
  3. Baseball To steal a base.
noun
  1. The act of stealing.
  2. Slang A bargain.
  3. Baseball A stolen base.
  4. Basketball An act of gaining possession of the ball from an opponent.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English stelen

Origin: , from Old English stelan

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Related Forms:

  • stealˈer noun

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