thief

noun

ˈthēf 

plural thieves ˈthēvz 

: one that steals especially stealthily or secretly

also : one who commits theft or larceny

Synonyms of thief

• robber
• burglar

Examples of thief in a Sentence

A thief took my purse.

a thief has been stealing wallets and valuables from the lockers at the gym

Recent Examples on the Web

Although the thief of the cocaine cover has never come forward, Cecchi’s regulars did. —Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026

The thieves got away with around $100,000 in valuable packs of Pokémon and major league sports cards as alarm bells rang from within the small business. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026

Just over a month after a grooming truck packed with dogs was stolen in Lincoln Park, Chicago police said the same thief has been accused of a string of new crimes after managing to escape electronic monitoring. —Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026

The grandkids — cousins, and thick as thieves — love running around indoors and out. —Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English theef, from Old English thēof; akin to Old High German diob thief

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing thief

• sneak thief

Rhymes for thief

• beef
• brief
• chief
• fief
• grief
• leaf
• lief
• reef
• reif
• seif
• sheaf
• belief

Kids Definition

thief

noun

ˈthēf 

plural thieves ˈthēvz 

: one that steals

Legal Definition

thief

noun

plural thieves

: one who commits theft

Etymology

Old English thēof