Thief has 2 different meanings across 1 category:
Noun
Noun
1
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
"The thief snuck into the house and stole the jewelry before fleeing the scene."
2
One who carries out a theft.
"The thief slipped into the house at night to steal the jewelry."
In plain English: A thief is someone who steals things without permission.
"The thief was caught trying to steal money from the cash register."
Example Sentences
"The thief was caught trying to steal money from the cash register."
noun
"The thief was caught red-handed stealing candy from the store."
noun
"Everyone at the party laughed when they realized who the real thief of attention was."
noun
"Police are searching for a car thief who stole bicycles last night."
noun
Related Terms
Show all 93 terms ↓
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
Origin
The word thief comes directly from Old English and has retained its original meaning of a person who steals throughout history. It traveled into modern usage without any significant shift in definition over the centuries.