Steal meaning
He stole away for a quiet moment. The deadline stole up on us.
An example of a steal is an expensive designer bag you get at a garage sale for $2.
Steal a look at a diary; steal the puck from an opponent.
An example of steal is when you take someone's wallet.
An example of steal is when you pretend that someone else's ideas or work are your own.
An example of steal is when you give someone a spontaneous kiss when not expected.
An example of steal is when you quickly glance at someone and then look away, hoping not to be noticed.
The magician's assistant stole the show with her comic antics.
To steal a look, to steal a kiss.
To steal someone's heart, a defenseman stealing the puck.
Three irreplaceable paintings were stolen from the gallery.
They stole my idea for a biodegradable, disposable garbage de-odorizer.
He stole glances at the pretty woman across the street.
He stole the car for two thousand less than its book value.
At this price, this car is a steal.
- To use, appropriate, or preempt the use of another's idea, especially to one's own advantage and without consent by the originator.
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Origin of steal
- Middle English stelen from Old English stelan
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English stelen, from Old English stelan, from Proto-Germanic *stelanÄ… (compare West Frisian stelle, Low German stehlen, Dutch stelen, German stehlen, Danish stjæle, Norwegian stjele), either from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (compare Welsh herw (“theft, raid"), Ancient Greek στεÏÎω (stereÅ, “to deprive of")) or Proto-Indo-European*stel(H)- (“to stretch") (compare Albanian pë/mbështjell (“I confuse, mess up, mix, wrap up") , Old Church Slavonic [script?] (steljÇ«, “I spread out (bed, roof)"), Ancient Greek τηλία (tÄ“lÃa, “playing table")).
From Wiktionary