From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthefttheft /θeft/ ●●○ noun 1 [uncountable]SCCSTEAL the crime of stealing → thief, burglary, robbery Car theft is on the increase. an arrest for petty theft (=stealing small things) Three men were charged with attempted theft.► see thesaurus at crime2 [countable]SCCSTEAL an act of stealing something There have been a number of thefts in the area.theft of the theft of £150 from the officeCOLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2ADJECTIVES/NOUN + theft attempted theftHe was charged with attempted theft.car theft British English, auto theft American English:Northern Ireland had one of the highest levels of car theft in Europe.identity theft (=when someone steals your personal information and uses it to obtain goods or money)Credit card companies and banks bear the financial loss, rather than the victim of the identity theft.petty theft (=the stealing of something that is not very valuable)There had been a rash of petty thefts in the hotel.art theftRobbers stole paintings worth £25 million in the French Riviera’s biggest art theft.verbscommit a theftDetectives took us to the place where the theft had been committed.
Examples from the Corpus
theft• This warehouse is not adequately protected against theft or vandalism.• Drink, assault and theft of a police car.• Pushard was arrested and charged with auto theft.• The rate of bicycle theft in this area is very high.• Subsidence claims showed marked decline, but theft claims continue to rise.• Police believe they have found the man responsible for a series of car thefts in the past year.• During the next eight years Christie served a number of prison sentences for theft and, on one occasion, assault.• The mayor is taking credit for decreases in theft since he took office.• These include theft and burglary, which involve questions of personal honesty.• However, while your policy is suspended we will still insure your car against loss or damage by fire or theft.• The vast majority were, for example, petty thefts, acts of vandalism, and minor assaults.• In some places such thefts were relatively casual.• Davitt is serving a six-month jail sentence in the theft.• Most of the thefts occurred during the weekend.• If your passport has been stolen, report the theft to your nearest embassy immediately.• Security has been tightened since the theft of a $150,000 oil painting.attempted theft• Facts: pleaded guilty to theft and attempted theft.• The charge should be attempted theft or obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.• Theft is excluded but this policy would cover damage caused by attempted theft. 3.• Yesterday jobless James, 34, of Middlesbrough, was fined £100 by Teesside magistrates for attempted theft.• Arata said 12 auto burglaries, two auto thefts and one attempted theft occurred in the area Sunday night.• I got charged with that and the attempted theft.theft of• the theft of $200 from the officeFrom Longman Business Dictionarythefttheft /θeft/ noun [countable, uncountable] the crime of stealing or an act of stealing somethingAn employee was fired for theft.Your property should be insured against theft.theft ofThefts of property from cars rose 24%. → identity theftOrigin theft Old English thiefth 