What does steal mean?

Definitions for steal
stilsteal

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word steal.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. bargain, buy, stealnoun

    an advantageous purchase

    "she got a bargain at the auction"; "the stock was a real buy at that price"

  2. stealverb

    a stolen base; an instance in which a base runner advances safely during the delivery of a pitch (without the help of a hit or walk or passed ball or wild pitch)

  3. stealverb

    take without the owner's consent

    "Someone stole my wallet on the train"; "This author stole entire paragraphs from my dissertation"

  4. steal, slipverb

    move stealthily

    "The ship slipped away in the darkness"

  5. stealverb

    steal a base

Wiktionary

  1. stealnoun

    The act of stealing.

  2. stealnoun

    A piece of merchandise available at a very attractive price.

    At this price, this car is a steal.

  3. stealnoun

    A situation in which a defensive player actively takes possession of the ball or puck from the opponent's team.

  4. stealnoun

    A stolen base.

  5. stealnoun

    Scoring in an end without the hammer.

  6. stealnoun

    A policy in database systems that a database follows which allows a transaction to be written on nonvolatile storage before its commit occurs

  7. stealverb

    To illegally, or without the owner's permission, take possession of something by surreptitiously taking or carrying it away.

  8. stealverb

    To get or effect surreptitiously or artfully.

  9. stealverb

    To copy copyright-protected work without permission.

  10. stealverb

    To acquire at a low price.

    He stole the car for two thousand less than its book value.

  11. stealverb

    To draw attention unexpectedly in (an entertainment), especially by being the outstanding performer. Usually used in the phrase steal the show.

  12. stealverb

    To move silently or secretly.

    He stole across the room, trying not to wake her.

  13. stealverb

    To advance safely to (another base) during the delivery of a pitch, without the aid of a hit, walk, passed ball, wild pitch, or defensive indifference.

  14. stealverb

    To dispossess

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To STEALverb

    Preterite I stole, part. pass stolen.

    Etymology: stelan , Saxon; stelen, Dutch.

    Thou ran’st a tilt in honour of my love,
    And stol’st away the ladies hearts of France. William Shakespeare.

    There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper,
    That steal the colour from Bassanio’s cheek;
    Some dear friend dead. William Shakespeare, Merch. of Venice.

    How should we steal silver or gold? Gen. xliv. 8.

    A schoolboy finding a bird’s nest, shews it his companion and he steals it. William Shakespeare.

    The law of England never was properly applied to the Irish, by a purposed plot of government, but as they could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by their humble carriage and submission. Edmund Spenser.

    Let us shift away, there’s warrant in that theft
    Which steals itself when there’s no mercy left. William Shakespeare.

    Variety of objects has a tendency to steal away the mind from its steady pursuit of any subject. Isaac Watts.

    Young Lorenzo
    Stole her soul with many vows of faith,
    And ne’er a true one. William Shakespeare.

    Were it not that my fellow schoolmaster
    Doth watch Bianca’s steps so narrowly,
    ’Twere good to steal our marriage. William Shakespeare.

    They hate nothing so much as being alone, for fear some affrighting apprehensions should steal or force their way in. Edmund Calamy.

  2. To Stealverb

    Fixt of mind to avoid further entreaty, and to fly all company, one night she stole away. Philip Sidney.

    My lord of Amiens and myself
    Did steal behind him as he lay along
    Under an oak. William Shakespeare.

    I cannot think it,
    That he would steal away so guilty like,
    Seeing you coming. William Shakespeare, Othello.

    The most peaceable way, if you take a thief, is to let him shew what he is, and steal out of your company. William Shakespeare.

    At time that lover’s flights doth still conceal,
    Through Athens’ gate have we devis’d to steal. William Shakespeare.

    In my conduct shall your ladies come,
    From whom you now must steal and take no leave. William Shakespeare.

    Others weary of the long journey, lingering behind, were stolen away; and they which were left, moiled with dirt and mire. Richard Knolles.

    A bride
    Should vanish from her cloaths into her bed,
    As souls from bodies steal and are not spy’d. John Donne.

    The vapour of charcoal hath killed many; and it is the more dangerous, because it cometh without any ill smell, and stealeth on by little and little. Francis Bacon, Natural History.

    A soft and solemn breathing sound,
    Rose like a steam of rich distill’d perfumes,
    And stole upon the air, that even silence
    Was took ere she was ware. John Milton.

    As wise artists mix their colours so,
    That by degrees they from each other go;
    Black steals unheeded from the neighb’ring white,
    So on us stole our blessed change. Dryden.

    At a time when he had no steward, he stole away. Jonathan Swift.

    Now his fierce eyes with sparkling fury glow,
    Now sighs steal out when tears begin to flow. Alexander Pope.

    Stealing is the taking from another what is his, without his knowledge or allowance. John Locke.

    The good humour is to steal at a minute’s rest. ———— Convey, the wise it call; steal! a fico for the phrase! William Shakespeare.

ChatGPT

  1. steal

    To steal is to take someone else's property without their consent and with the intention to keep it permanently or not return it. This action is considered illegal and unethical. Stealing can involve various methods such as deception, force, manipulation or sneakiness. It can be applied to tangible items like valuables, money, or goods as well as intangible elements such as intellectual property, privacy, or information.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Stealnoun

    a handle; a stale, or stele

  2. Stealverb

    to take and carry away, feloniously; to take without right or leave, and with intent to keep wrongfully; as, to steal the personal goods of another

  3. Stealverb

    to withdraw or convey clandestinely (reflexive); hence, to creep furtively, or to insinuate

  4. Stealverb

    to gain by insinuating arts or covert means

  5. Stealverb

    to get into one's power gradually and by imperceptible degrees; to take possession of by a gradual and imperceptible appropriation; -- with away

  6. Stealverb

    to accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner; to try to carry out secretly; as, to steal a look

  7. Stealverb

    to practice, or be guilty of, theft; to commit larceny or theft

  8. Stealverb

    to withdraw, or pass privily; to slip in, along, or away, unperceived; to go or come furtively

  9. Etymology: [See Stale a handle.]

Wikidata

  1. Steal

    In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, or by catching the opponents pass or dribble of an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. Steals are not credited if the defensive player merely picks up a loose ball in his vicinity or when an errant pass goes directly to him. Steals are credited to the player who gains possession. Whenever a steal is recorded for a defensive player, an offensive player must be credited as making a turnover. Stealing the ball requires good anticipation, speed and fast reflexes, all common traits of a good defender. However, like blocked shots, steals are not always a perfect gauge of a player's defensive abilities. An unsuccessful steal can result in the defender being out of position and unable to recover in time, allowing the offense to score. Therefore, attempting to steal is a gamble. Steals can pay off greatly, because they often trigger a fastbreak for the defensive team. There is no prototypical position from which a player may get many steals. While smaller, quicker guards tend to accumulate the most steals, there are many exceptions. For example, forward Rick Barry led the NBA in steals in 1974-75, and for many years center Hakeem Olajuwon led his team in the category, consistently ranking among the league's leaders.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Steal

    stēl, v.t. to take by theft or feloniously: to take away without notice: to gain or win by address, insidiously, or by gradual means: to snatch: in golf, to hole a long putt by a stealthy stroke—the opposite of Gobble.v.i. to practise theft: to take feloniously: to pass secretly: to slip in or out unperceived:—pa.t. stōle; pa.p. stōlen.—ns. Steal′er; Steal′ing, the act of taking another's property without his knowledge or consent: stolen property.—adv. Steal′ingly.—Steal a march on, to gain an advantage unperceived. [A.S. stelan; Ger. stehlen, Dut. stelen.]

  2. Steal

    stēl, n. (Spens.) a handle.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'steal' in Verbs Frequency: #418

Anagrams for steal »

  1. astel

  2. lates

  3. least

  4. leats

  5. salet

  6. setal

  7. slate

  8. stale

  9. stela

  10. taels

  11. tales

  12. teals

  13. tesla

How to pronounce steal?

How to say steal in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of steal in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of steal in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of steal in a Sentence

  1. Kristen Stewart:

    Once I learned the curtsy and learned we’re not supposed to go in the kitchen ourselves and steal food, all those details, I don’t really remember them, but there was always someone to make sure we weren’t going out of line and staying authentic.

  2. United States:

    I think The Justice Department is clear from the indictment that came out The Justice Department's not about punishing journalism, The Justice Department is about assisting the hacking of a military computer to steal information from the United States government, and look, I'll wait and see what happens with the charges and how The Justice Department proceeds, but he skipped bail in the UK, the bottom line is United States has to answer for what United States has done, at least as it's been charged.

  3. Julio Borges:

    We cannot allow Spain to be a paradise for Maduro's bagmen, we cannot allow Europe to be a sanctuary for the relatives of those who torture us and steal from us to hide.

  4. Sowmyanarayan Sampath:

    Every year I am surprised by the number( of financially motivated attacks), if you look at most of the news that's out there, you see state actors, espionage, trade secrets, but most of these breaches are people wanting to steal money from you.

  5. Eugen Peuke:

    It (multiculturalism) doesn't work. Immigration is a problem. They steal. I just don't want them here. The government isn't listening.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

steal#1#8683#10000

Translations for steal

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"steal." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/steal>.

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