steal

[[t]stil[/t]]

v. stole, sto•len, steal•ing, n.

1) to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, esp. secretly or by force

2) to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment

3) to take, get, or win insidiously, surreptitiously, subtly, or by chance:

He stole my girlfriend[/ex]

4) to move, bring, convey, or put secretly or quietly; smuggle:

She stole the dog upstairs at bedtime[/ex]

5) spo baseball (of a base runner) to reach (a base) safely by running while the ball is being pitched to the player at bat

6) to commit or practice theft

7) to move, go, or come secretly, quietly, or unobserved:

to steal out of a room[/ex]

8) to pass, happen, etc., imperceptibly, gently, or gradually:

The years steal by[/ex]

9) spo baseball (of a base runner) to advance a base by running to it while the ball is being pitched to the player at bat

10) inf an act of stealing; theft

11) inf the thing stolen

12) inf something acquired at a cost far below its real value; bargain

13) spo baseball the act of advancing a base by stealing

•

- steal a march on steal someone's thunder steal the show

Etymology: bef. 900; ME stelen, OE stelan, c. OFris, ONstela, OHG stelan, Go stilan steal′a•ble, adj. steal′er, n.