Dictionary  stealPronunciation: (stēl), [key] —v., stole, sto•len, steal•ing, —n. —v.t. 1. to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, esp. secretly or by force: A pickpocket stole his watch. 2. to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment. 3. to take, get, or win insidiously, surreptitiously, subtly, or by chance: He stole my girlfriend. 4. to move, bring, convey, or put secretly or quietly; smuggle (usually fol. by away, from, in, into, etc.): They stole the bicycle into the bedroom to surprise the child. 5. Baseball.(of a base runner) to gain (a base) without the help of a walk or batted ball, as by running to it during the delivery of a pitch. 6. Games.to gain (a point, advantage, etc.) by strategy, chance, or luck. 7. to gain or seize more than one's share of attention in, as by giving a superior performance: The comedian stole the show. —v.i. 1. to commit or practice theft. 2. to move, go, or come secretly, quietly, or unobserved: She stole out of the house at midnight. 3. to pass, happen, etc., imperceptibly, gently, or gradually: The years steal by. 4. Baseball.(of a base runner) to advance a base without the help of a walk or batted ball. 5. steal someone's thunder, to appropriate or use another's idea, plan, words, etc. —n. 1. Informal.an act of stealing; theft. 2. Informal.the thing stolen; booty. 3. Informal.something acquired at a cost far below its real value; bargain: This dress is a steal at $40. 4. Baseball.the act of advancing a base by stealing. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also:
|
Atlas
Encyclopedia
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Day in History
