stealing

[ stee-ling ]

/ ˈsti lɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR stealing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person who steals.

Usually stealings. something that is stolen.

adjective

given to or characterized by theft.

Origin of stealing

1300–50; Middle English steling (gerund). See steal, -ing¹, -ing²

OTHER WORDS FROM stealing

steal·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby stealing

steal someone's heart, steal someone's thunder, steal the show, stealage, stealer, stealing, stealth, stealth bomber, stealth tax, stealth technology, stealthy

Definition for stealing (2 of 2)

steal

[ steel ]

/ stil /

verb (used with object), stole, sto·len, steal·ing.

to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, especially secretly or by force: A pickpocket stole his watch.

to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment.

to take, get, or win insidiously, surreptitiously, subtly, or by chance: He stole my girlfriend.

to move, bring, convey, or put secretly or quietly; smuggle (usually followed by away, from, in, into, etc.): They stole the bicycle into the bedroom to surprise the child.

Baseball. (of a base runner) to gain (a base) without the help of a walk or batted ball, as by running to it during the delivery of a pitch.

Games. to gain (a point, advantage, etc.) by strategy, chance, or luck.

to gain or seize more than one's share of attention in, as by giving a superior performance: The comedian stole the show.

verb (used without object), stole, sto·len, steal·ing.

to commit or practice theft.

to move, go, or come secretly, quietly, or unobserved: She stole out of the house at midnight.

to pass, happen, etc., imperceptibly, gently, or gradually: The years steal by.

Baseball. (of a base runner) to advance a base without the help of a walk or batted ball.

noun

Informal. an act of stealing; theft.

Informal. the thing stolen; booty.

Informal. something acquired at a cost far below its real value; bargain: This dress is a steal at $40.

Baseball. the act of advancing a base by stealing.

Origin of steal

before 900; 1860–65 for def 5; Middle English stelen, Old English stelan; cognate with German stehlen, Old Norse stela, Gothic stilan

historical usage of steal

Steal and its kindred words come from the Germanic root stel- “to rob, steal” (as in Gothic stilan, Old English, Old Frisian, Old High German stelan, German stehlen ); the root has no certain relatives outside Germanic.
The idea of secrecy and concealment is a natural association, as in the words derivative of stel-, such as the noun stealth (Middle English stelthe, stelth, from Germanic stēlithō ), and the verb stalk “to follow or observe secretly or cautiously.” One of the current senses of stalk “to follow or harass someone obsessively over a period of time” dates from the early 1980s.

OTHER WORDS FROM steal

steal·a·ble, adjective steal·er, noun non·steal·a·ble, adjective out·steal, verb (used with object), out·stole, out·sto·len, out·steal·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH steal

burglarize mug rip off rob steal (see synonym study at rob) steal steel stele

Example sentences from the Web for stealing

The NOPD fired Knight in 1973 for stealing lumber from a construction site as an off-duty cop.

The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise |Jason Berry |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The story follows a down on his luck family man named Bill Scanlon (Wes Bentley), who takes to stealing after losing his job.

After The Fall: Introducing The Anti-Villain |Rich Goldstein |December 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Zilch, what with Showtime's other steamy sex-heavy drama, The Affair, stealing its thunder.

15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & More |Kevin Fallon |December 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
In the real world, he said, a hacker is more likely interested in stealing records he can sell than in harming a patient.

How Your Pacemaker Will Get Hacked |Kaiser Health News |November 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

We all know each other, we are essentially family, so stealing and killing are not problems we have.

Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley |Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman |November 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
If you go to accusing us of stealing your stuff, you'll get your crust caved in!

Boy Scouts on the Great Divide |Archibald Lee Fletcher
The steward followed the men, and overtook them, and charged them with stealing.

The Wonder Book of Bible Stories |Compiled by Logan Marshall
Awed and deafened, the two pushed doggedly on, Lafe stealing glances over his shoulder, to see if the officer was following.

The Deserter, and Other Stories |Harold Frederic
A spell was stealing over them; an influence was in the room.

Checkmate |Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Once he detected a waiter, in the end where they stopped at Tula, stealing a bottle of castor-oil from the medicine chest.

The Catholic World; Vol. IV.; October, 1866, to March, 1867. |E. Rameur

British Dictionary definitions for stealing

steal

/ (stiːl) /

verb steals, stealing, stole or stolen

to take (something) from someone, etc without permission or unlawfully, esp in a secret manner

(tr) to obtain surreptitiously

(tr) to appropriate (ideas, etc) without acknowledgment, as in plagiarism

to move or convey stealthily they stole along the corridor

(intr) to pass unnoticed the hours stole by

(tr) to win or gain by strategy or luck, as in various sports to steal a few yards

steal a march on to obtain an advantage over, esp by a secret or underhand measure

steal someone's thunder to detract from the attention due to another by forestalling him

steal the show to be looked upon as the most interesting, popular, etc, esp unexpectedly

noun informal

the act of stealing

something stolen or acquired easily or at little cost

Word Origin for steal

Old English stelan; related to Old Frisian, Old Norse stela Gothic stilan, German stehlen

Medical definitions for stealing

steal

[ stēl ]

n.

The diversion of blood flow from its normal course.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

stealing

noun

adjective

Origin of stealing

OTHER WORDS FROM stealing

Words nearby stealing

Definition for stealing (2 of 2)

verb (used with object), stole, sto·len, steal·ing.

verb (used without object), stole, sto·len, steal·ing.

noun

Origin of steal

historical usage of steal

OTHER WORDS FROM steal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH steal

Example sentences from the Web for stealing

British Dictionary definitions for stealing

verb steals, stealing, stole or stolen

noun informal

Word Origin for steal

Medical definitions for stealing

n.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

stealing

noun

adjective

Origin of stealing

OTHER WORDS FROM stealing

Words nearby stealing

Definition for stealing (2 of 2)

verb (used with object), stole, sto·len, steal·ing.

verb (used without object), stole, sto·len, steal·ing.

noun

Origin of steal

historical usage of steal

OTHER WORDS FROM steal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH steal

Words related to stealing

Example sentences from the Web for stealing

British Dictionary definitions for stealing

verb steals, stealing, stole or stolen

noun informal

Word Origin for steal

Medical definitions for stealing

n.