How to Use petty larceny in a Sentence

petty larceny

noun
  • The charge was petty larceny, which is a misdemeanor, and his bail was set at just one dollar.
    Jennifer Gonnerman, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2020
  • The boy dies of typhoid, but his spectre and his lust for petty larceny remain with Lurie.
    Francisco Cantú, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2019
  • Earlier this year he was charged with 15 counts of petty larceny, a misdemeanor, and pleaded guilty in July, according to court records.
    Michael Gold, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2019
  • On the other hand, someone whose mental illness compels them to petty larceny probably shouldn’t be confined at all.
    New York Times, 13 Oct. 2017
  • Jack’s exile in St. Louis has been punishingly lonely and meaningless, defined by petty larceny, drunkenness, debt and a stint in prison, but also by countless hours hiding in the stacks of the public library.
    Sam Sacks, WSJ, 25 Sep. 2020
  • She was immediately arrested and charged with three counts of petty larceny, CNN reports.
    Paula Rogo, Essence.com, 17 Mar. 2018
  • There’s also a good chance that some North Koreans, especially military personnel with easy access to small arms, may resort to petty larceny to get ahead.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 26 Apr. 2018
  • Jake Hoyle’s pandemic Olympics started with petty larceny.
    Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 21 July 2021
  • Simon and co-creator George Pelecanos use a time-hopping narrative to juggle multiple subplots about petty larceny and bureaucratic indifference with historic recreations of the Freddie Gray protests.
    Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 22 Apr. 2022
  • Other arrests followed—for petty larceny, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence.
    Ada Ferrer, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petty larceny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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