steal

steal
1 /sti:l/ verb past tense stole, past participle stolen /'stUln'stoU-/
1 TAKE STH (I, T) to take something that belongs to someone else
(+ from): Some drug users steal from their own families to finance their habit. | steal sth: Sean has a long history of stealing cars. | steal sth from sb: He was accused of stealing ideas from a rival studio.
2 MOVE SOMEWHERE (intransitive always + adv/prep) to move quietly without anyone noticing you
(+ into/across etc): I tried to steal out of the room without waking Stefan.
3 steal the show/limelight/scene to do something, especially when you are acting in a play, that makes people pay more attention to you than to other people
4 steal a look/glance etc to look at someone or something quickly and secretly
5 SPORT (I, T) to run to the next base 2 (8) in the game of baseball before someone hits the ball
6 steal a kiss to kiss someone quickly when they are not expecting it
7 steal sb's thunder to get the success and praise someone else should have got, by doing what they had intended to do
8 steal a march on sb to secretly or unexpectedly start something that someone else had planned to do, so that you gain an advantage over them
9 steal sb's heart literary to make someone fall in love with you
USAGE NOTE: STEAL WORD CHOICE: steal, take, rob, burgle, burglarize, pick sb's pocket People steal things (from people, cars, houses, shops, banks etc): He's stolen my Walkman! (NOT stolen me or robbed my Walkman))| Someone stole his passport while he was asleep. Take is also often used in this sense: Someone's taken my wallet. People rob other people (of things) especially in a public place: A man was robbed by three youths as he walked home from work yesterday. People rob banks, or gas stations, but usually burgle (BrE) or burglarize (AmE) a house or office: At least 10 houses in the area had been burgled during the night. If someone picks your pocket, they steal things from your pocket, usually when you are in a crowd of people. 2 noun (C) informal
1 be a steal to be very cheap: At 20 bucks the camera was a steal.
—see cheap 2
2 the act of running to the next base 1 (8) in the game of baseball before someone hits the ball

Longman dictionary of contemporary English. 2004.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • steal´er — steal «steel», verb, stole, sto|len, steal|ing, noun. –v.t. 1. to take (something) that does not belong to one; take dishonestly: »Robbers stole the money. Who steals my purse, st …   Useful english dictionary

  • Steal — (st[=e]l), v. t. [imp. {Stole} (st[=o]l); p. p. {Stolen} (st[=o] l n); p. pr. & vb. n. {Stealing}.] [OE. stelen, AS. stelan; akin to OFries. stela, D. stelen, OHG. stelan, G. stehlen, Icel. stela, SW. stj[ a]la, Dan. sti[ae]le, Goth. stilan.] 1.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • steal — steal, *pilfer, filch, purloin, lift, pinch, snitch, swipe, cop are comparable when they mean to take another s possession without right and without his knowledge or permission. Steal, the commonest and most general of the group, can refer to any …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • steal — ► VERB (past stole; past part. stolen) 1) take (something) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it. 2) give or take surreptitiously or without permission: I stole a look at my watch. 3) move somewhere quietly or… …   English terms dictionary

  • steal — [stēl] vt. stole, stolen, stealing [ME stelen < OE stælan, akin to Ger stehlen, prob. altered < IE base * ster , to rob > Gr sterein, to rob] 1. to take or appropriate (another s property, ideas, etc.) without permission, dishonestly, or …   English World dictionary

  • steal — vt stole, sto·len, steal·ing [Old English stelan]: to take or appropriate without right or consent and with intent to keep or make use of see also robbery, theft Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • steal — steal; steal·able; steal·age; steal·er; steal·ing·ly; …   English syllables

  • Steal — (st[=e]l), v. i. 1. To practice, or be guilty of, theft; to commit larceny or theft. [1913 Webster] Thou shalt not steal. Ex. xx. 15. [1913 Webster] 2. To withdraw, or pass privily; to slip in, along, or away, unperceived; to go or come furtively …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Steal — may refer to: * Theft * The gaining of a stolen base in baseball * Steal (basketball), a situation when the defensive player actively takes possession of the ball from the opponent s team * In professional sports, a steal is a draft pick who… …   Wikipedia

  • steal — O.E. stelan to commit a theft (class IV strong verb; past tense stæl, pp. stolen), from P.Gmc. *stelanan (Cf. O.S. stelan, O.N., O.Fris. stela, Du. stelen, O.H.G. stelan, Ger. stehlen, Goth. stilan), of unknown origin. Most IE words for steal… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Steal — (st[=e]l), n. [See {Stale} a handle.] A handle; a stale, or stele. [Archaic or Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster] And in his hand a huge poleax did bear. Whose steale was iron studded but not long. Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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