Definition of the word steal

Pronunciation of vocabulary steal

stealverb

ăn cắp, ăn trộm

/stiːl/

Definition of the word <b>steal</b>

Origin of the word steal

The word "steal" has a fascinating etymology. It originated from the Old English word "stælan", which meant "to snatching" or "to seize quickly". This Old English word is thought to have come from the Proto-Germanic word "*stalthiz", which is also the source of the Modern German word "stehlen", meaning "to steal". In Middle English (circa 1100-1500), the word "steale" emerged, with a slightly different pronunciation and meaning. It initially referred to the act of taking something without permission, often in a sudden or sneaky manner. Over time, the spelling evolved to "steal", and the meaning expanded to include the concept of taking something that doesn't belong to you, such as a thief stealing a purse or a vehicle.

Vocabulary summary steal

typetransitive verb stole; stolen

meaningsteal

exampleto steal out of the room

exampleto steal into the house

meaningtake by surprise, do it secretly; cleverly obtain (by secret means...)

exampleto steal a kiss

exampleto steal away someone's heart: skillfully win someone's affection (by secret means...)

typejournalize

meaningsneak

exampleto steal out of the room

exampleto steal into the house

meaningtake over someone

exampleto steal a kiss

exampleto steal away someone's heart: skillfully win someone's affection (by secret means...)

Example of vocabulary stealnamespace

meaning

to take something from a person, shop, etc. without permission and without intending to return it or pay for it

lấy cái gì đó từ một người, cửa hàng, vv mà không được phép và không có ý định trả lại hoặc trả tiền cho nó

  • I'll report you to the police if I catch you stealing again.

    Tôi sẽ báo cảnh sát nếu tôi bắt gặp bạn ăn trộm lần nữa.

  • We found out he'd been stealing from us for years.

    Chúng tôi phát hiện ra anh ta đã ăn trộm của chúng tôi trong nhiều năm.

  • My wallet was stolen.

    Ví của tôi đã bị đánh cắp.

  • I had my wallet stolen.

    Tôi đã bị đánh cắp ví của mình.

  • Thieves stole jewellery worth over £10 000.

    Kẻ trộm đã đánh cắp đồ trang sức trị giá hơn 10 000 bảng Anh.

  • He stole a car from the parking lot of a mall.

    Anh ta đã trộm một chiếc ô tô từ bãi đậu xe của một trung tâm thương mại.

  • It's a crime to handle stolen goods.

    Đó là một tội ác để xử lý hàng hóa bị đánh cắp.

  • He was charged with possession of stolen property.

    Anh ta bị buộc tội tàng trữ tài sản bị đánh cắp.

  • to steal somebody’s ideas

    ăn cắp ý tưởng của ai đó

  • They accused the president of stealing the election (= winning it by cheating).

    Họ cáo buộc tổng thống đã ăn cắp cuộc bầu cử (= thắng nó bằng cách gian lận).

meaning

to move secretly and quietly so that other people do not notice you

di chuyển bí mật và lặng lẽ để người khác không chú ý đến bạn

  • She stole out of the room so as not to wake the baby.

    Cô lẻn ra khỏi phòng để không đánh thức đứa bé.

  • A chill stole over her body.

    Một cơn ớn lạnh bao trùm cơ thể cô.

meaning

to run to the next base before another player from your team hits the ball, so that you are closer to scoring

chạy đến căn cứ tiếp theo trước khi một cầu thủ khác trong đội của bạn đánh bóng, để bạn gần ghi bàn hơn

  • He tried to steal second base but was out.

    Anh ta cố gắng đánh cắp căn cứ thứ hai nhưng đã bị loại.

Words, synonyms, related vocabulary steal

Idioms of vocabulary steal

steal a glance/look (at somebody/something)
to look at somebody/something quickly so that nobody sees you doing it
steal somebody’s heart
(literary)to make somebody fall in love with you
steal a kiss (from somebody)
(literary)to kiss somebody suddenly or secretly
steal a march (on somebody)
to gain an advantage over somebody by doing something before them
  • The company is looking at ways to steal a march on its European competitors.
    • steal the show
    to attract more attention and praise than other people in a particular situation
  • As always, the children stole the show.
  • British bands stole the show at this year’s awards.
    • steal somebody’s thunder
    to get the attention, success, etc. that somebody else was expecting, usually by saying or doing what they had intended to say or do

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