Origin: Latin suffix -al
Steal has 7 different meanings across 2 categories:
a stolen base; an instance in which a base runner advances safely during the delivery of a pitch (without the help of a hit or walk or passed ball or wild pitch)
"The leadoff hitter stole second base on the pitcher's fourth throw."
The act of stealing.
"The police investigated the theft after discovering a broken window at the jewelry store."
To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else.
"The thief managed to steal a diamond necklace from the jewelry store display case."
In plain English: To steal means to take something that belongs to someone else without their permission and keep it secretly.
"The thief managed to steal my wallet from the table before I could see him."
Usage: Use this verb to describe taking property from another person with criminal intent rather than simply borrowing it temporarily. Distinguish between stealing an entire object and "stealing away" time or attention when referring to non-physical resources.
The word steal comes directly from Old English without any change in meaning. It traveled into modern English through Middle English while retaining its original sense of taking something secretly.