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Glite Dictionary
shoplifter

shoplifter

18 3.1
A person who steals things from a shop while pretending to be a customer
  • noun
  • /ˈʃɑːpˌlɪftər/
: ladrón de tiendas
  • His teenage half-sister had an infant son and had become a habitual shoplifter.
  • adolescent shoplifter

And it like, you know, if we just took one shoplifter out and just flogged them, they'd probably stop fucking stealing batteries to make meth from that Walmart.

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Examples

  • The mom was a shoplifter.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • We don't tolerate shoplifters around here.

    Hidden in the Woods (2014)

  • "I thought I was here because I was a shoplifter," she says.

    Academic text (1997)

  • I thought maybe he just caught a shoplifter.

    The Sun Is Also a Star (2019)

  • Was this the face of a shoplifter?

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Most of the shoplifters I catch are store employees.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • One of the problems we do get is with regard to shoplifters, and it's this.

    Blog text (1)

  • I stand inside a column of mirrors and spot shoplifters.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • And let it be known that we will prosecute shoplifters to the fullest extent of the... ...law.

    Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge (1989)

  • The store hired extra staff to catch a shoplifter who had been stealing merchandise.

Synonyms

thief
vsshoplifter
754 1.0

A person who takes someone else's things without permission

is specific to stores and uses pretending to be a customer
stealer
vsshoplifter
4 4.6

A person who takes things that belong to others without permission

occurs specifically in stores and involves pretending to be a customer
sneak thief
vsshoplifter
2 7.6

A person who secretly steals things without using force

happens specifically in stores and involves pretending to be a customer
booster
vsshoplifter
  • Slang
1 8.8

A person who steals goods from shops by hiding them

uses pretending to be a customer as the main method
pilferer
vsshoplifter
1 7.3

A person who steals small things without using force

takes goods in stores by pretending to be a customer rather than only tiny amounts
lifter
vsshoplifter
  • Jargon
1 7.9

A person who steals goods from a shop by hiding them

focuses on pretending to be a customer while taking items
purloiner
vsshoplifter
9.6

A person who steals things secretly

is specific to stores and uses pretending to be a customer rather than general sneakiness
larcener
vsshoplifter
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who illegally takes other people's things

is the everyday term for stealing goods from stores while posing as a customer

How Serious

robber
186 1.0
burglar
110 1.4
thief
754 1.0
shoplifter
18 3.1
pickpocket
19 4.2

Surface Forms

shoplifter singular
shoplifters plural

Morphology

shoplifter = shoplift (transparent) = shop + lift + er

Formed by adding the agentive suffix '-er' to 'shoplift', clearly indicating a person who commits that action.

Etymology

Shoplifter comes from two parts: shop ('store') and lift ('to take secretly'). Think of someone quietly lifting items into a bag while pretending to shop, which is why a shoplifter is a person who steals goods from a shop.