transitive verb stole, stolen, stealing
- to take or appropriate (another's property, ideas, etc.) without permission, dishonestly, or unlawfully, esp. in a secret or surreptitious manner
- to get, take, or give slyly, surreptitiously, or without permission: to steal a look, to steal a kiss
- to take or gain insidiously or artfully: to steal someone's heart, to steal the puck in hockey
- to be the outstanding performer in (a scene, act, etc.), esp. in a subordinate role
- to move, put, carry, or convey surreptitiously or stealthily (in, into, from, away, etc.)
- ☆ 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