From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstealsteal1 /stiːl/ ●●● S3 W3 verb (past tense stole /stəʊl $ stoʊl/, past participle stolen /ˈstəʊlən $ ˈstoʊ-/) 1 take something [intransitive, transitive]SCCSTEAL to take something that belongs to someone else Boys broke into a shop and stole £45 in cash.steal from He stole money from his parents.steal something from somebody/something He’d stolen the flowers from our garden.2 use ideas [intransitive, transitive] to use someone else’s ideas without getting permission or without admitting that they are not your own ideas SYN pinch Inventors know that someone is always going to try to steal their designs.steal something from somebody A well-known scientist was accused of stealing ideas from his former student.3 move somewhere [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]GOQUIET to move quietly without anyone noticing you SYN creepsteal into/across etc He dressed quietly and stole out of the house.4 → steal the show/limelight/scene5 → steal a look/glance etc6 sport a) [intransitive, transitive]DSB to run to the next base before someone hits the ball in the sport of baseball b) [transitive] to suddenly take control of the ball, puck etc when the other team had previously had control of it, for example in basketball or ice hockey Roy steals the ball four times in the first half.7 → steal a kiss8 → steal a march on somebody9 → steal somebody’s thunder10 → steal somebody’s heart → beg, borrow, or steal at beg(8)THESAURUSsteal to illegally take something that belongs to someone elseThe thieves stole over £10,000 worth of computer equipment.Thousands of cars get stolen every year.take to steal something – used when it is clear from the situation that you mean that someone takes something dishonestlyThe boys broke into her house and took all her money.They didn’t take much – just a few items of jewellery.burgle British English, burglarize American English [usually passive] to go into someone’s home and steal things, especially when the owners are not thereTheir house was burgled while they were away.If you leave windows open, you are asking to be burgled.rob to steal money or other things from a bank, shop, or personThe gang were convicted of robbing a bank in Essex.An elderly woman was robbed at gunpoint in her own home.He’s serving a sentence for robbing a grocery store.mug to attack someone in the street and steal something from themPeople in this area are frightened of being mugged when they go out.Someone tried to mug me outside the station.nick/pinch British English informal to steal somethingSomeone’s nicked my wallet!When I came back, my car had been pinched.embezzle to steal money from the organization you work for, especially money that you are responsible forGovernment officials embezzled more than $2.5 million from the department.shoplifting stealing things from a shop by taking them when you think no one is lookingShoplifting costs stores millions of pounds every year.phishing the activity of dishonestly persuading people to give you their credit card details over the Internet, so that you can steal money from their bank accountPhishing is becoming very popular with computer criminals. → See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
steal• While he was on the correct route he was not guilty even though he intended to steal.• Would it make a difference if it could be maintained that Laura had died before the Tongue was stolen?• My grandfather refused to put his money in a bank because he was afraid it would get stolen.• At the time, District Attorney Joseph Freitas estimated the employees were stealing at least a half million dollars a year.• Thousands of cars get stolen every year.• The sale will recoup a small portion of the money stolen from company pension funds by the publisher.• Is it not, like the wolf in the fable, putting on false clothing stolen from other social sciences?• drug addicts who steal from their friends and families• Professional designers and architects steal ideas from each other all the time.• She claims that the director stole ideas from her historical novel and used them in the movie.• Kenner accused the director of stealing ideas from her novel in making his movie.• It's strange he should have had so many things stolen in just a week.• In the end he had to steal in order to survive.• Thieves stole paintings worth $5 million from a Paris art gallery.• Engram was suspended for the entire 1992 season by Coach Joe Paterno for stealing stereo equipment from an unlocked apartment.• Cottage raided: Cash totalling to £1,500 was stolen when thieves broke into a holiday cottage in Gayle, near Hawes.steal from• You have to be careful - Sadie steals from everybody.steal into/across etc• While he was gone, a band of the Umpqua tribe stole into camp and murdered all but three of the men.• I stole into my home like a thief.• And yet, despite it all, I felt peace stealing into my soul.• Twice Cantona stole into position at the far post waiting in vain for crosses.• Hanging out with a boy who was not only smoking but stealing into the bargain-this was serious business.• We were thieves that had stolen into the fold waiting to be discovered and expelled by a flaming sword.• He got up and stole across the grass.• She stole into the kitchen to find Sabina and beg some hot water in secret, before the others found her out. steals the ball• Roy steals the ball four times in the first half, Red and B each score twelve points.stealsteal2 noun [countable] 1 → be a steal2 the act of suddenly taking control of the ball when the other team had previously had control of it, especially in basketball Johnson had ten points and a steal in the first half.3 the act of running to the next base before someone hits the ball in the sport of baseballExamples from the Corpus
steal• At £100, it would be good value for money, but at £59.95, it's an absolute steal.• Many people don't regard cheating on their taxes as stealing.• The 5-5 Rizzotti had 11 points and five steals in the first half.• Eddie Jones played 48 minutes for his second consecutive long night and contributed 19 points and four steals.• He shoots 54. 7 percent from the floor and is among the Pac-10 leaders in steals and blocked shots.• She led the team in steals.• Dream Shakes, twisting layups, tough rebounds, key steals.• She forgets the steals, the rebounds, the slick ballhandling.• Jess connects on one of two three-point attempts and grabs two steals.From Longman Business Dictionarystealsteal1 /stiːl/ verb (past tense stole /stəʊlstoʊl/, past participle stolen /ˈstəʊlənˈstoʊ-/)1[intransitive, transitive] to take something that belongs to someone, without their permissionsteal fromThey had admitted stealing from clients.2steal a march on somebody to do something new or good before other people do it, for example by producing a new productThe American computer company really stole a march on the competition with its latest PCs.→ See Verb tablestealsteal2 noun be a steal informal to be very cheapAt 20 bucks the camera was a steal.Origin steal1 Old English stelan 