as in stealing
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
the studio stepped up security, fearing that someone might attempt to purloin a copy of the script for the show's season finale
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pilfering
Related Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purloining
Verb
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Prometheus was chained to a rock for stealing the fire of the gods and giving it to human beings.—
Alan Lightman
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025 -
Back in May, Steven Hale pleaded guilty to spending about a year between 2021 and 2022 stealing discs from his employer and selling them online through e-commerce sites.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Hayden’s office, the Boston Police Department, regional retailer groups and small business owners last year launched the Safe Shopping Initiative — an effort to increase consumer safety and help store managers strategize responses to shoplifting and retail larcenies.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
16 Sep. 2025
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An armed man suspected of shoplifting was fatally shot by Arapahoe County deputies on Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Jamel McGriff, 42, a Bronx ex-con with a decades-long rap sheet, has been charged with 14 counts of murder and 37 charges in total, including kidnapping, burglary, robbery, arson, weapons offenses, grand larceny and identity theft, the Queens County District Attorney’s Office said.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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The prosecutor turned to the day of the kidnapping.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
13 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Purloining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purloining. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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