thieve

Thieve is an old English verb meaning “to steal.” It is used transitively—someone thieves an object—and can also carry the broader sense of taking property by dishonest or surreptitious means. The word survives mainly in archaic, literary, and historical writing, so ordinary speakers usually choose steal instead. Even so, thieve can be effective in a deliberately elevated or period setting, where it gives a sentence a vivid sense of taking something without permission. It is related in origin and meaning to thief and theft, but it functions as an action word rather than naming the person responsible for the theft. Because the verb is uncommon, context usually makes its role clear: the object that has been taken is typically described as the thing someone thieved. Thieve is therefore less useful for routine explanation than steal, but it is worth knowing because it preserves an older register and appears in historical, literary, and occasionally poetic texts.

To steal. The word is now chiefly archaic or literary rather than standard everyday English.

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Where does thieve come from?

The word comes through Middle English thieven, from Old English þeofian (“to steal”), which is related to þeof (“thief”). Over time, its vowel developed into the modern long i sound. Closely related forms include theft, thievery, and thievish; the Germanic cognates dieb “thief” in German and dief in Dutch belong to the same wider word family.

How thieve is actually used

Now archaic or literary, though still understood in British and American English. Ordinary speakers normally use steal instead.

Easily confused with thieve

What's another word for thieve?

Rhymes with thieve