transitive verb
stole, stol′en, steal′ing- 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, a defenseman stealing the puck
- 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 of steal
Middle English stelen from Old English stælan, akin to German stehlen, probably altered from Indo-European base an unverified form ster-, to rob from source Classical Greek sterein, to rob- to be a thief; practice theft
- to move, pass, etc. stealthily, quietly, gradually, or without being noticed
- Baseball to steal or attempt to steal a base
- an act of stealing
- something stolen
- something obtained at a cost so low as to be regarded as excessively favorable to the buyer: a hyperbolic use
