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shoplifter

[ shop-lif-ter ]

/ ˈʃɒpˌlɪf tər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR shoplifter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who steals goods from the shelves or displays of a retail store while posing as a customer.

Origin of shoplifter

1670–80; obsolete shoplift shoplifter ( shop + lift) + -er¹

Words nearby shoplifter

shopful, shopgirl, shophar, shopkeeper, shoplift, shoplifter, shoplifting, shoppe, shopper, shopping, shopping bag

Example sentences from the Web for shoplifter

In Alabama, an arrested 19-year-old shoplifter got gangrene and died naked on the floor of a “medical observation cell.”

Here’s a Reform Even the Koch Brothers and George Soros Can Agree On |Tina Brown |November 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Family lore recalls the time Nathan picked up a shoplifter and threw him out the door.

‘The Harness Maker’s Dream:’ The Unlikely Ranch King of Texas |Nick Kotz |September 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The shame and burden of being exposed as a shoplifter,” she writes in an earlier chapter, “cannot be erased.

Great Weekend Reads |The Daily Beast |July 3, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
In New York as soon as one did that she'd be nabbed on the way out for a shoplifter.

Vignettes Of San Francisco |Almira Bailey

Guy Faux was to be treated with an indulgence which was not to be extended to a shoplifter.

The History of England from the Accession of James II. |Thomas Babington Macaulay
The detective, as a rule, should not make an arrest under any circumstances until after the shoplifter has left the store.

Practical Instruction for Detectives |Emmerson W. Manning
“Laponi does bear a slight resemblance to the shoplifter,” Rosanna admitted thoughtfully.

Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key |Joan Clark
Two drunks come in with the first batch, and a couple of crooks who had been working the 'elevated'; and a woman, a shoplifter.

Felix O'Day |F. Hopkinson Smith

British Dictionary definitions for shoplifter

shoplifter

/ (ˈʃɒpˌlɪftə) /

noun

a person who steals goods from a shop during shopping hours