Dictionary
steal
Pronunciation: (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.
