Steal

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Steal, n. [See Stale a handle.].

 A handle; a stale, or stele.  [1913 Webster]
"And in his hand a huge poleax did bear.
Whose steale was iron-studded but not long."  [1913 Webster]

Steal, v. t. [OE. stelen, AS. stelan; akin to OFries. stela, D. stelen, OHG. stelan, G. stehlen, Icel. stela, SW. stjäla, Dan. stiæle, Goth. stilan.].

•  To take, and carry away, feloniously; to take without right or leave, and with intent to keep wrongfully; as, to steal the personal goods of another.  [1913 Webster]

  "Maugre thy heed, thou must for indigence
  Or steal, or beg, or borrow, thy dispense."  [1913 Webster]

  "The man who stole a goose and gave away the giblets in alms."  [1913 Webster]
•  To withdraw or convey clandestinely (reflexive); hence, to creep furtively, or to insinuate.  [1913 Webster]

  "They could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by their humble carriage and submission."  [1913 Webster]

  "He will steal himself into a man's favor."  [1913 Webster]
•  To gain by insinuating arts or covert means.  [1913 Webster]

  "So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel."  [1913 Webster]
•  To get into one's power gradually and by imperceptible degrees; to take possession of by a gradual and imperceptible appropriation; -- with away.  [1913 Webster]

  "Variety of objects has a tendency to steal away the mind from its steady pursuit of any subject."  [1913 Webster]
•  To accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner; to try to carry out secretly; as, to steal a look.  [1913 Webster]

  "Always, when thou changest thine opinion or course, profess it plainly, . . . and do not think to steal it."  [1913 Webster]

  "She yesterday wanted to steal a march of poor Liddy."  [1913 Webster]

  "Fifty thousand men can not easily steal a march over the sea."  [1913 Webster]

To steal a march, to march in a covert way; to gain an advantage unobserved; -- formerly followed by of, but now by on or upon, and sometimes by over; as, to steal a march upon one's political rivals.

Syn. -- To filch; pilfer; purloin; thieve.

Steal, v. i. 

•  To practice, or be guilty of, theft; to commit larceny or theft.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thou shalt not steal."  [1913 Webster]
•  To withdraw, or pass privily; to slip in, along, or away, unperceived; to go or come furtively.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  "Fixed of mind to avoid further entreaty, and to fly all company, one night she stole away."  [1913 Webster]

  "From whom you now must steal, and take no leave."  [1913 Webster]

  "A soft and solemn breathing sound
  Rose like a steam of rich, distilled perfumes,
  And stole upon the air."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Steal, v. & n.
--v. (past stole; past part. stolen)
1 tr. (also absol.) a take (another person's property) illegally. b take (property etc.) without right or permission, esp. in secret with the intention of not returning it.
2 tr. obtain surreptitiously or by surprise (stole a kiss).
3 tr. a gain insidiously or artfully. b (often foll. by away) win or get possession of (a person's affections etc.), esp. insidiously (stole her heart away).
4 intr. (foll. by in, out, away, up, etc.) a move, esp. silently or stealthily (stole out of the room). b (of a sound etc.) become gradually perceptible.
5 tr. a (in various sports) gain (a run, the ball, etc.) surreptitiously or by luck. b Baseball reach (a base) by deceiving the fielders.
--n.
1 US colloq. the act or an instance of stealing or theft.
2 colloq. an unexpectedly easy task or good bargain.

Idiom

steal a march on get an advantage over by surreptitious means; anticipate. steal the show outshine other performers, esp. unexpectedly. steal a person's thunder use another person's words, ideas, etc., without permission and without giving credit.

Derivative

stealer n. (also in comb.).

Etymology

OE stelan f. Gmc

THESAURUS

Steal

abstract, acquire, adopt, advantageous purchase, and, annex, appropriate, assume, bag, bargain, boost, borrow, burglarize, burglary, buy, cabbage, caper, catch up, claim, clap hands on, clasp, claw, clench, clinch, clout, clutch, collar, coon, cop, copy, couch, crawl, creep, crib, crook, defraud, derive from, drain off, draw off, embezzle, embrace, extort, filch, fleece, frisk, get, get away with, get hold of, glide, glom on to, go on tiptoe, good buy, good pennyworth, grab, grab hold of, grapple, grasp, grip, gripe, grovel, gumshoe, heist, hijack, hoist, hook, hug, imitate, inch, inch along, infringe, job, larceny, lay hands on, lay hold of, lay wait, liberate, lie in wait, lift, loot, lurk, make off with, make use of, misappropriate, mock, mooch, mouse, nab, nail, nick, nightwalk, nip, nip up, pad, palm, partake, peculate, pennyworth, pilfer, pillage, pinch, pirate, plagiarize, plunder, poach, pocket, possess, prig, prowl, purloin, purloining, pussyfoot, receive, rifle, rip-off, rob, robbery, run away with, rustle, scrabble, scramble, scrounge, seize, shadow, shanghai, shirk, shoplift, sidle, simulate, skulk, slide, slink, slip, snake, snap up, snare, snatch, sneak, snitch, stalk, steal along, stealage, stealing, swindle, swipe, take, take away, take by assault, take by storm, take hold of, take on, take over, take possession, theft, thieve, thievery, thieving, tippytoe, tiptoe, touch, usurp, vulture, walk off with, whip up, worm, worm along

ROGET THESAURUS

Steal

Taking

VB take, catch, hook, nab, bag, sack, pocket, put into one's pocket, receive, accept, reap, crop, cull, pluck, gather, draw, appropriate, expropriate, impropriate, assume, possess oneself of, take possession of, commandeer, lay one's hands on, clap one's hands on, help oneself to, make free with, dip one's hands into, lay under contribution, intercept, scramble for, deprive of, take away, carry away, bear away, take off, carry off, bear off, adeem, abstract, hurry off with, run away with, abduct, steal, ravish, seize, pounce upon, spring upon, swoop to, swoop down upon, take by storm, take by assault, snatch, reave, snap up, nip up, whip up, catch up, kidnap, crimp, capture, lay violent hands on, get hold of, lay hold of, take hold of, catch hold of, lay fast hold of, take firm hold of, lay by the heels, take prisoner, fasten upon, grip, grapple, embrace, gripe, clasp, grab, clutch, collar, throttle, take by the throat, claw, clinch, clench, make sure of, catch at, jump at, make a grab at, snap at, snatch at, reach, make a long arm, stretch forth one's hand, take from, take away from, disseize, deduct, retrench, dispossess, ease one of, snatch from one's grasp, tear from, tear away from, wrench from, wrest from, wring from, extort, deprive of, bereave, disinherit, cut off with a shilling, oust, divest, levy, distrain, confiscate, sequester, sequestrate, accroach, usurp, despoil, strip, fleece, shear, displume, impoverish, eat out of house and home, drain, drain to the dregs, gut, dry, exhaust, swallow up, absorb, draw off, suck the blood of, suck like a leech, retake, resume, recover.

Stealing

VB steal, thieve, rob, mug, purloin, pilfer, filch, prig, bag, nim, crib, cabbage, palm, abstract, appropriate, plagiarize, convey away, carry off, abduct, kidnap, crimp, make off with, walk off with, run off with, run away with, spirit away, seize, plunder, pillage, rifle, sack, loot, ransack, spoil, spoliate, despoil, strip, sweep, gut, forage, levy blackmail, pirate, pickeer, maraud, lift cattle, poach, smuggle, run, badger, bail up, hold up, stick up, bunco, bunko, filibuster, swindle, peculate, embezzle, sponge, mulct, rook, bilk, pluck, pigeon, fleece, defraud, obtain under false pretenses, live by one's wits, rob Peter to pay Paul, borrow of Peter to pay Paul, set a thief to catch a thief, disregard the distinction between meum and tuum, fence, launder, launder money.