What does shoplift mean?
Shoplift means to steal merchandise from a shop, store, or similar place of sale without paying for it or receiving permission to take it. The related noun shoplift, though comparatively uncommon, refers to an individual act of shoplifting. In legal and news reporting, the conduct is normally described as theft, while shoplift emphasizes where the goods were taken from. The word appears in expressions such as caught shoplifting, accused of shoplifting, and a shoplifting spree. It can be used literally for stealing merchandise from a physical shop, as well as figuratively in discussions of fraud involving online marketplaces or automated systems. Shoplift is especially useful because it identifies the setting and nature of the theft more specifically than the general word steal. Its related forms are common: shoplifter names the person responsible, and shoplifting names the practice or activity.
To steal merchandise from a shop or store without paying for it or having permission to take it.
"He tried to shoplift a jacket while the security guards were elsewhere."
Used in legal, journalistic, and everyday contexts; it distinguishes theft from a shop or store more specifically than steal alone.
An instance of stealing merchandise from a shop or store without paying for it or having permission to take it.
"The surveillance footage appeared to record a shoplift at the checkout."
The noun is less common than the gerund shoplifting and is usually used in the reporting of a specific incident.
The plural is rare because the noun is usually expressed through shoplifting or the phrase an act of shoplifting.
"The video allegedly captured several shoplifts in succession."
Shoplifting is a compound that tells the whole story: lifting goods from a shop without permission to take them—and without paying for them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shoplift come from?
Shoplift is an English compound formed from shop and lift. It developed during the nineteenth century for the taking of goods from a shop without paying, drawing on the established verb lift in the sense of theft. Later forms include shoplifter and shoplifting, which became the standard labels for the person and the activity.
Related word forms
How shoplift is actually used
The verb is standard in legal, journalistic, and everyday contexts. The noun is much less common than the related form shoplifting and is usually encountered in reports of a specific incident.
Easily confused with shoplift
Shoplift is the action of stealing goods from a shop, whereas a shoplifter is a person who does so.