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thieving

thieving

20 3.7
The act of taking things from other people without permission
  • noun
  • /ˈθivɪŋ/
translation icon : hurto
  • Guys, you are without a doubt the sneakiest, most light-fingered thieving parasites l've ever met.
  • thieving bastard
  • thieving whore
  • lying and thieving

And so even in a situation where thieving, say, would actually minimize suffering, you should still not do it because of your allegiance to this rule.

Examples

  • Since it is aggressive, thieving gifts are associated with male behavior (Tannen 40).

    Academic text (2013)
  • We have those criminal, thieving kids at home to do that every miserable waking moment.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • You mean other than your thieving friend from last night?

  • Or you could sneak back in here and bring an extra pair of thieving hands.

  • I was recently forced to part ways with a thieving prick of an associate and am, therefore, in need of a replacement.

  • As far as I am concerned, you're a thieving rascal!

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I ran to my mom, confessed to my razor-thieving, and pleaded for help.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The police arrested him for his persistent thieving activities in the neighborhood.

  • The community is frustrated with the increase in thieving, especially with so many burglaries lately.

  • She reported the thieving of her bicycle to the authorities as soon as she noticed it was missing.

Synonyms

theft
vsthieving
356 1.1

An act of taking someone else's property without permission to keep it

is broader and names the unlawful practice without stressing intent
larceny
vsthieving
  • Formal
45 7.2

Stealing something that belongs to someone else to keep it

is the general term for unlawful taking without a technical legal label
thievery
vsthieving
14 5.6

The act of taking things that belong to other people without permission

is an alternative noun form with the same meaning
stealing
vsthieving
5 1.0

Taking something that belongs to another person without permission

is the same idea but used to name the practice generally

Antonyms

98 3.4

The act of returning something to its original state

2.9

Coming back after being gone

How Serious

robbery
749 2.3
theft
356 1.1
thieving
20 3.7
pilferage
1 7.5

Surface Forms

thieving singular
thievings plural

Morphology

thieving = thieve (transparent) = thieve + ing

Standard gerundive formation from the verb 'thieve' yielding a noun meaning 'the act or practice of stealing'.

Etymology

Thieving as a noun comes from the same verb thieve and the word thief, from an old German word meaning 'to steal'. So thieving simply means the act of stealing.