theft — n [Old English thiefth]: larceny; broadly: a criminal taking of the property or services of another without consent ◇ Theft commonly encompasses by statute a variety of forms of stealing formerly treated as distinct crimes. grand theft: theft of… … Law dictionary
theft — /theft/, n. 1. the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny. 2. an instance of this. 3. Archaic. something stolen. [bef. 900; ME; OE thefth, theofth; see THIEF, TH1; c. ON thyfth … Universalium
theft — [θeft] noun [countable, uncountable] the crime of stealing or an act of stealing something: • An employee was fired for theft. • Your property should be insured against theft. theft of • Thefts of property from cars rose 24%. iˈdentity ˌtheft… … Financial and business terms
Theft — • The secret taking of another s property against the reasonable will of that other Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Theft Theft … Catholic encyclopedia
theft — theft, larceny, robbery, burglary mean the act or crime of stealing, though they have differences in legal application. The same differences in implications and applications are observable in the agent nouns thief, larcener or larcenist, robber,… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
theft — [θeft] n [: Old English; Origin: thiefth] 1.) [U] the crime of stealing →↑thief, burglary ↑burglary, robbery ↑robbery ▪ Car theft is on the increase. ▪ an arrest for petty theft (=stealing small things) ▪ Three men were charged with attemp … Dictionary of contemporary English
Theft — Theft, n. [OE. thefte, AS. [thorn]i[ e]f[eth]e, [thorn][=y]f[eth]e, [thorn]e[ o]f[eth]e. See {Thief}.] 1. (Law) The act of stealing; specifically, the felonious taking and removing of personal property, with an intent to deprive the rightful… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
theft — [theft] n. [ME thefte < OE thiefth: see THIEF & TH1] the act or an instance of stealing; larceny SYN. THEFT is the general term and LARCENY the legal term for the unlawful or felonious taking away of another s property without his or her… … English World dictionary
theft — [ θeft ] noun count or uncount ** the crime of stealing. Someone who commits this crime is called a thief: There have been a lot of thefts recently. theft of: He was charged with the theft of club funds … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
theft — theft; theft·bote; … English syllables
theft — (n.) O.E. þeofð (W.Saxon þiefð), from P.Gmc. *theubitho (Cf. O.Fris. thiufthe, O.N. þyfð), from *theubaz thief (see THIEF (Cf. thief)) + suffix itha (cognate with L. itatem) … Etymology dictionary
