Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

steal

1. steal \'ste-(*)l\ \'sto-l\ \'sto--l*n\ vb or stole;  or sto.len or 
   steal.ing [ME stelen, fr. OE stelan; akin to OHG stelan to steal] 1: to 
   take the property of another  2: to come or go secretly, unobtrusively, 
   gradually, or unexpectedly  3: to steal a base  1a: to take or appropriate 
   without right or leave and with intent to keep  or make use of wrongfully 
   1b: to take away by force or unjust means  1c: to take secretly or without 
   permission  1d: to appropriate entirely to oneself or beyond one's proper 
   share {@ the show} 2a: to move, convey, or introduce secretly : SMUGGLE  
   2b: to accomplish in a concealed or unobserved manner  3a: to seize, gain, 
   or win by trickery, skill, or daring {a basketball p layer adept at ~ing 
   the ball from his opponents} of a base runner  3b: to gain (a base) by 
   running without the aid of a hit or an error rom another without right or 
   without detection. STEAL may apply to any surreptitious taking of anything 
   tangible or intangible; PILFER implies stealing repeatedly in small 
   amounts; FILCH adds a suggestion of snatching quickly and surreptitiously; 
   PURLOIN stresses removing or carrying off for one's own use or purposes - 
   steal.er n SYN syn STEAL, PILFER, FILCH, PURLOIN mean to take f 
2. steal n 1: the act or an instance of stealing  2: a fraudulent or 
   questionable political deal  3: BARGAIN