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plural thieves
ˈthēvz
: one that steals especially stealthily or secretly
also
: one who commits theft or larceny
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
The co-owner of a Texas pizza restaurant came up with an impressive idea to replace employees' tips after thieves ran off with their money over the holidays.
—Becca Longmire, People.com, 31 Dec. 2024
The company plans to weld it shut so that would-be thieves would have to break open a highly radioactive system to get at the weapon-ready material.
—Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2024
Current tactics used to protect gift card information—like stickers and cardboard packaging—are entirely physical and can be easily tampered with by thieves.
—Judy Moon, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Some ways thieves can obtain credit card numbers include data breaches, stealing your physical card and skimming your card.
—Senitra Horbrook, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
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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
Time Traveler
The first known use of thief was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing thief
Articles Related to thief
Dictionary Entries Near thief
Cite this Entry
“Thief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thief. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Legal Definition
thief
noun
plural thieves
: one who commits theft
Etymology
Old English thēof
More from Merriam-Webster on thief
Nglish: Translation of thief for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of thief for Arabic Speakers
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