as in robbery
the unlawful taking and carrying away of property without the consent of its owner
in those days the stealing of a horse was a very serious crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in swiping
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
the guy who tried to steal my car was sentenced to a year in jail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sneaking
to move about in a sly or secret manner
the teenagers were able to steal past a security guard and enter the fairgrounds without paying admission
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of stealing
Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Adolescents who used tobacco, got into physical fights or engaged in stealing had substantially higher odds of inhalant use and inhalant use disorder.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
The stealing of gas comes at a time when many people are already struggling to keep up with the rising prices at the pumps.
—Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 8 May 2026
Justine Lupe has made an art out of scene-stealing.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 May 2026
Garcia drove home Michael Massey after the latter made a pair of smart baserunning plays, including a stealing of third and tagging up on Garcia’s shallow fly ball to center.
—Kansas City Star, 3 May 2026
The Commissioner issues his findings in his investigation into allegations of sign-stealing by the 2018 Boston Red Sox, in the wake of a similar investigation into the illicit doings of the 2017 Houston Astros.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
To no one’s surprise, Axios reported last week that Republicans have the gall to consider more stealing from health care and day care to pay for a budget bill containing as much as $200 billion to fund the Iran war and immigration enforcement.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
Critics singled out her performance as scene-stealing.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2026
Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
An indictment charged Paul Caneiro with stealing at least $75,000.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 19 May 2026
Investigators soon learned that Paul had been stealing from his brother for some time.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Over the past several years, Taylor Russell has become a festival fashion force to be reckoned with, hitting red carpets around the world in scene-stealing vintage and jaunty chapeaux with equal aplomb.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 18 May 2026
There is no question to anyone following the case in detail that Altman & Brockman did in fact enrich themselves by stealing a charity.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 18 May 2026
While it once was complicated for criminals to collect personal data, such as identification numbers, emails, phone numbers, and more, the connectivity the internet offers can sometimes make stealing information as easy as clicking a button.
—Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 18 May 2026
Avedian said that the issue is not just about people stealing identities or social security numbers; the danger to the consumer is much greater.
—Amy Corral, CBS News, 12 May 2026
With Caballero out, the Yankees plan to start Volpe at shortstop over Max Schuemann, who started at the position Tuesday and was 1-for-3 and was caught stealing twice.
—Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Noun
The art of base stealing and bunting is just in the toilet at this point.
—Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Adolescents who used tobacco, got into physical fights or engaged in stealing had substantially higher odds of inhalant use and inhalant use disorder.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 15 May 2026
The stealing of gas comes at a time when many people are already struggling to keep up with the rising prices at the pumps.
—Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 8 May 2026
Justine Lupe has made an art out of scene-stealing.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 8 May 2026
Garcia drove home Michael Massey after the latter made a pair of smart baserunning plays, including a stealing of third and tagging up on Garcia’s shallow fly ball to center.
—Kansas City Star, 3 May 2026
The Commissioner issues his findings in his investigation into allegations of sign-stealing by the 2018 Boston Red Sox, in the wake of a similar investigation into the illicit doings of the 2017 Houston Astros.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
To no one’s surprise, Axios reported last week that Republicans have the gall to consider more stealing from health care and day care to pay for a budget bill containing as much as $200 billion to fund the Iran war and immigration enforcement.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
Critics singled out her performance as scene-stealing.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are less than 24 hours removed from an instant classic in Game 1 of their Western Conference Finals matchup, with the Spurs stealing home court advantage thanks to a 122-115 double-overtime win in OKC.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
An indictment charged Paul Caneiro with stealing at least $75,000.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 19 May 2026
Investigators soon learned that Paul had been stealing from his brother for some time.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Over the past several years, Taylor Russell has become a festival fashion force to be reckoned with, hitting red carpets around the world in scene-stealing vintage and jaunty chapeaux with equal aplomb.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 18 May 2026
There is no question to anyone following the case in detail that Altman & Brockman did in fact enrich themselves by stealing a charity.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 18 May 2026
While it once was complicated for criminals to collect personal data, such as identification numbers, emails, phone numbers, and more, the connectivity the internet offers can sometimes make stealing information as easy as clicking a button.
—Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 18 May 2026
Avedian said that the issue is not just about people stealing identities or social security numbers; the danger to the consumer is much greater.
—Amy Corral, CBS News, 12 May 2026
With Caballero out, the Yankees plan to start Volpe at shortstop over Max Schuemann, who started at the position Tuesday and was 1-for-3 and was caught stealing twice.
—Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stealing
Noun
-
Schuman now faces a felony count of robbery by sudden snatching in addition to three misdemeanors — one count of battery, one count of petit theft and one count of criminal mischief, court records show.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
13 May 2026
-
He was previously charged with robbery and handgun violations, police said.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Security footage showed a black vehicle plowing through and swiping the vehicle next to it.—
Julia Avant,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
-
The Spurs are up on them, swiping at the ball, trapping Edwards and funneling all action to Wembanyama.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
After about a year at the park and sneaking onto a field with American-style uprights at Kanda University, where some of his friends went to school, Matsuzawa wanted to make his project more serious.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
-
Ignoring her stricken mother’s advice, Lucila decides to go back to Mexico City to mourn with her grandparents (Luisa Huertas and Guillermo Ríos) and other relatives, sneaking the deceased loved one’s ashes into her backpack.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
The brazen rush-hour theft — partially dismantling an in-service subway train while riding on it — is at least the second such act in a week.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
The company called for tighter export controls, stronger protections against technology theft, and wider adoption of American AI systems across allied markets.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Gaff was charged with raping, robbing and murdering Weaver, according to court documents.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
Warnock says Republicans 'robbing' Georgians of their voice Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock has been vocal about the Louisiana decision in the weeks since, and has long made voting rights and protections a key part of his platform.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Lucy and Elsa have built their lives around men who may have dark sides lurking.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
The Wolves rushed shots in and around the paint all night because Wembanyama was always lurking.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors said Pildes defrauded attendees and small business owners alike, pilfering funds to pay for extensive renovations on a lakefront property in New Jersey, concert tickets, luxury getaways, Michelin star meals and a sports car.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Season 5, meanwhile, has noticeably flattened its ensemble, leaning on simplistic personality traits and pilfering from previous arcs.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
26 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Each of them is slipping behind.—
Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
-
Stock futures are slipping before the bell after a positive session yesterday.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stealing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stealing. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
