thief

noun

plural thieves ˈthēvz How to pronounce thief (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See all Example Sentences for thief 

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

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.

Kids Definition

thief

noun
plural thieves ˈthēvz How to pronounce thief (audio)
: one that steals

Legal Definition

thief

noun
plural thieves
: one who commits theft
Etymology

Old English thēof

More from Merriam-Webster on thief

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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