Synonyms of pilfer

pilfer

verb

ˈpil-fər 

as in to steal

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep

what sort of person would pilfer lunches from the office refrigerator?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• steal
• swipe
• filch
• grab
• purloin
• rob
• snatch
• lift
• misappropriate
• thieve
• appropriate
• snitch
• pinch
• nip
• pocket
• hook
• nick
• rip off
• hijack
• run off with
• take
• boost
• plunder
• seize
• make off with
• make away with
• walk off with
• pick
• heist
• loot
• pillage
• sack
• burglarize
• knock over
• shoplift
• poach
• kidnap
• rifle
• highjack
• grasp
• abduct
• rustle
• spirit
• carjack
• sponge
• nail
• mooch
• collar
• shanghai

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• buy
• purchase
• give
• contribute
• present
• bestow
• donate
• hand over

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb pilfer differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of pilfer are filch, purloin, and steal. While all these words mean "to take from another without right or without detection," pilfer implies stealing repeatedly in small amounts.

pilfered from his employer

When is it sensible to use filch instead of pilfer?

The meanings of filch and pilfer largely overlap; however, filch adds a suggestion of snatching quickly and surreptitiously.

filched an apple from the tray

In what contexts can purloin take the place of pilfer?

In some situations, the words purloin and pilfer are roughly equivalent. However, purloin stresses removing or carrying off for one's own use or purposes.

printed a purloined document

When is steal a more appropriate choice than pilfer?

While the synonyms steal and pilfer are close in meaning, steal may apply to any surreptitious taking of something and differs from the other terms by commonly applying to intangibles as well as material things.

steal jewels

stole a look at the gifts

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of pilfer

Deeper inside Ukraine, the same corrupt oligarchs and officials who had pilfered public resources under the Yanukovych regime manned a second, civilian front. —Michael Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 26 Nov. 2019

With money pilfered from the firm, Kamon financed construction projects at his homes in Palos Verdes and Encino, according to the plea agreement. —Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024

The admission of wrongdoing by the British Museum stems from the reputation-destroying revelation last summer that a museum staffer had for years been pilfering the institution’s priceless treasures and peddling them on eBay for a pittance. —News Desk, Artforum, 13 Aug. 2024

The wolf, painted on a white satellite dish in Peckham, south London, was pilfered by a hooded trio in broad daylight on Thursday. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 10 Aug. 2024