A thief took my purse. a thief has been stealing wallets and valuables from the lockers at the gym
Recent Examples on the WebPetty thief Scott Lang becomes Ant-Man, who, with his ability to shrink, proves that big heroes can come in tiny packages. Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 1 Sep. 2022 Longtime thief sentenced in Wisconsin jewel heist; crimes included museum burglary that inspired TV episode Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2022 Apparently, the thief was unable to start the car and left it there.cleveland, 26 Aug. 2022 It will be released in 2023, the company announced Saturday, and feature Iranian American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo as the voice of Roshan, mentor to street thief-turned-master assassin Basim Ibn Is’haq. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 28 July 2022 On the new season of Blood & Treasure, antiquities expert Danny McNamara and former master thief Lexi Vaziri are on the hunt for the Spirit Banner of Genghis Khan. Ew Staff, EW.com, 15 July 2022 Comparison is the thief of joy, and everyone is on their own individual and beautifully different path through life. Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 25 Aug. 2022 Three months later, a thief hacked his account and emptied it. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2022 The thief left the parking lot driving a dark gray Chevy Tahoe. John Benson, cleveland, 24 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English theef, from Old English thēof; akin to Old High German diob thief
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of thief was before the 12th century
ADJECTIVE | ... OF THIEVES | VERB + THIEF | THIEF + VERBADJECTIVE➤would-be想偷東西的人◇The alarm is usually sufficient to deter a would-be thief.警報器通常足以使想要行竊的人罷手。➤common, petty慣竊犯;小偷▸➤professional職業盜賊▸➤master偷竊高手▸➤opportunist, sneak (both BrE) 臨時起意的盜賊;小偷小摸的小偷➤convicted, suspected已被定罪的盜竊犯;盜竊嫌疑人▸➤car, identity, jewel, etc.汽車、身分、珠寶等盜賊... OF THIEVES➤gang一夥盜賊VERB + THIEF➤catch捉住盜賊THIEF + VERB➤snatch sth, steal sth, take sth盜賊搶奪⋯;竊賊偷走⋯◇A thief snatched her handbag containing her wages.一個小偷搶走了她的手提包,裏面裝着她的工資。➤escape with sth, get away with sth, make off with sth盜賊攜帶⋯逃走▸➤break in, break into sth盜賊破門窗闖入⋯▸➤strike (especially BrE) 盜賊洗劫◇The thief struck while the family were out.盜賊趁這家人外出時下了手。