thief
English · Thesaurus
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thief
- /ˈθiːf/
- [ˈθɪi̯f]
Rhymes with -iːf
Where it comes from
From Middle English thef, theef, þef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic *þeub, from Proto-Germanic *þeubaz. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tjoof (“thief”), West Frisian tsjeaf (“thief”), Dutch dief (“thief”), Low German Deef, Deev (“thief”), German Dieb (“thief”), Danish tyv (“thief”), Swedish tjuv (“thief”), Icelandic þjófur (“thief”).
noun thieves · theef
- One who carries out a theft. water-thieves and land-thieves
- One who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence. Take heed to false harlots, and more, ye wot what. / If noise ye heare, / Looke all be cleare: / Least drabs doe noie thee, / And theeues destroie thee.
- A waster in the snuff of a candle. But hear you, my Worthy Brethren: do not you, where you see a thief in the candle, call presently for an extinguisher[…]
Similar: abstractor, appropriator, bagger, booster, borrower, cribber, faker, filcher, flogger, heister, larcener, larcenist, liberator, lifter, misappropriator, nicker, pincher, purloiner, snitch, stealer, tea leaf, thief, thiever
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: theft, thieving, pilferer, pickpocket, robbery, robber, mugger, burglar, steal, banditry, bandit, trespassing, sneak, thug, catcher, hoodlum
Translations
Every language
noun one who carries out theft
| Español | ladrón, caco, chorizo, mangante, amigo de lo ajeno, chori |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 도둑 doduk, 도적 dojeok |
| 日本語 | 泥棒 dorobō, 盗賊 tōzoku, 窃盗者 settō-sha |
| 中文 | 賊 /贼 zéi, 盜賊 /盗贼 dàozéi, 小偷 xiǎotōu, 宵小 xiāoxiǎo, 竊賊 /窃贼 qièzéi |
| हिन्दी | चोर cor, दुज़्द duzd, दुज्द dujd, सारिक़ sāriq, सारिक sārik, सारिक़ा sāriqā |
| Kiswahili | mwizi, mnyang'anyi class I/II |
| Português | ladrão, ladra |
| Français | voleur, voleuse |
| Deutsch | Dieb, Diebin |
| Italiano | ladro, ladra, ladruncolo, borsaiolo, scippatore, mariolo |
| Ελληνικά | κλέφτης kléftis |
| Română | hoț, hoață |
| Русский | вор vor, воро́вка voróvka, ворю́га vorjúga, вори́шка voríška |
| Tiếng Việt | kẻ trộm, kẻ cắp, kẻ ăn trộm |
| العربية | لِصّ liṣṣ, لِصَّة liṣṣa, سَارِق sāriq, سَارِقَة sāriqa, حَرَامِيّ ḥarāmiyy, حَرَامِيَّة ḥarāmiyya |
| עברית | גַּנָּב ganáv |
Talk about this word "thief." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/thief. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. thief. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/thief "thief." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/thief.Cite this
@misc{thief_2026,
title = {thief},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/thief},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
