1
: to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice
2
: to come or go secretly, unobtrusively, gradually, or unexpectedly
3
: to steal or attempt to steal a base
1
a
: to take or appropriate without right or leave and with intent to keep or make use of wrongfully
stole a car
b
: to take away by force or unjust means
they've stolen our liberty
c
: to take surreptitiously or without permission
steal a kiss
d
: to appropriate to oneself or beyond one's proper share : make oneself the focus of
steal the show
2
a
: to move, convey, or introduce secretly : smuggle
b
: to accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner
steal a visit
3
a
: to seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring
a basketball player adept at stealing the ball
stole the election
b
of a base runner
: to reach (a base) safely solely by running and usually catching the opposing team off guard
stealer
noun
1
: the act or an instance of stealing
2
: a fraudulent or questionable political deal
3
: bargain sense 2
it's a steal at that price
Synonyms
Examples of steal in a Sentence
Verb
They stole thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry from the store.
He discovered that his car had been stolen.
The store manager accused the boy of stealing.
I stole a cookie from the cookie jar.
They stole our best pitcher away from our team.
His outstanding performance stole the show.
Noun
This car is a steal at only $5,000.
He has 40 steals this season.
a nifty steal by the defender
Recent Examples on the Web
Anna Miller, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
Pesky witches, always trying to steal childhood trauma for their skin care routine.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024
On Wednesday, the Redwood City Police Department announced the recovery of a wedding dress that was stolen on April 11.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
Their first-round playoff series is now level at one game apiece, as the Dallas Mavericks stole a 96-93 victory at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Trump is charged with conspiring to try to steal the 2020 election and remain in power by spreading lies about election fraud that fueled the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
In March 2020, thieves broke into the Christ Church Picture Gallery at the University of Oxford and stole three artworks, which were together worth approximately $12 million.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
Goff proceeds to carefully watch tips on things like being spontaneous and stealing a police helicopter as Murphy's comedic mayhem is seen in quick glimpses.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 25 Apr. 2024
But his music and his politics aside, the show-stealer on Tuesday night was the same individual who stole a little bit of Hozier’s thunder by gushing about his historic hit before the sun had gone down: Allison Russell.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2024
Jovic finished Game 2 with 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists three steals and one block.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024
No steals are available during this round and coaches can enlist a mentor to help advise their artists during the Playoffs.
—Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
Sabonis recorded a double-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 20 Apr. 2024
During the Knockouts round, Dan + Shay used their steal to take Lewis from McEntire, 69.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Stokes, the District 4-6A Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 11 points, four assists and three steals en route to being named to the TABC All-Region team.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2024
D’Angelo Russell carried the Lakers in the first half and drilled the dagger three in the fourth (with a key steal).
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Ruiz has been wearing out the ball since his demotion, adding power to the speed which produced an American League-leading 67 steals as a rookie last season.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
Verb
However, your plants are likely to be stolen, pollinated, infested by bugs, eaten by deer, etc.
—Anna Miller, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
Pesky witches, always trying to steal childhood trauma for their skin care routine.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024
On Wednesday, the Redwood City Police Department announced the recovery of a wedding dress that was stolen on April 11.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
Their first-round playoff series is now level at one game apiece, as the Dallas Mavericks stole a 96-93 victory at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Trump is charged with conspiring to try to steal the 2020 election and remain in power by spreading lies about election fraud that fueled the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
In March 2020, thieves broke into the Christ Church Picture Gallery at the University of Oxford and stole three artworks, which were together worth approximately $12 million.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
Goff proceeds to carefully watch tips on things like being spontaneous and stealing a police helicopter as Murphy's comedic mayhem is seen in quick glimpses.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 25 Apr. 2024
But his music and his politics aside, the show-stealer on Tuesday night was the same individual who stole a little bit of Hozier’s thunder by gushing about his historic hit before the sun had gone down: Allison Russell.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2024
Noun
During his final season at KU, Dotson averaged 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals for the Jayhawks, who went 28-3 and were ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll of the season.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2024
Jovic finished Game 2 with 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists three steals and one block.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2024
No steals are available during this round and coaches can enlist a mentor to help advise their artists during the Playoffs.
—Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
Sabonis recorded a double-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 20 Apr. 2024
During the Knockouts round, Dan + Shay used their steal to take Lewis from McEntire, 69.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Stokes, the District 4-6A Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 11 points, four assists and three steals en route to being named to the TABC All-Region team.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2024
D’Angelo Russell carried the Lakers in the first half and drilled the dagger three in the fourth (with a key steal).
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Ruiz has been wearing out the ball since his demotion, adding power to the speed which produced an American League-leading 67 steals as a rookie last season.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near steal
Cite this Entry
“Steal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steal. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
steal
1 of 2 verb1
: to come or go secretly or quietly
stole out of the room
2
a
: to take and carry away without right and with the intention of keeping the property of another : rob
b
: to take in a sneaky way and without permission
steal a kiss
c
: to take entirely to oneself or beyond one's proper share
steal the show
3
a
b
: to accomplish or get in a concealed or unobserved manner
steal a nap
4
a
: to seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring
the basketball player stole the ball
b
: to gain a base in baseball by running without the aid of a hit or an error
stealer
noun
steal
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or an instance of stealing
2
: something offered or purchased at a low price : bargain
Medical Definition
steal
noun
: abnormal circulation characterized by deviation (as through collateral vessels or by backward flow) of blood to tissues where the normal flow of blood has been cut off by occlusion of an artery
subclavian steal
coronary steal
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