thief

UK /θiːf/ US /θif/

noun 3

Definitions

noun

One who carries out a theft.

water-thieves and land-thieves

One who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.

Take heed to false harlots, and more, ye wot what. / If noise ye heare, / Looke all be cleare: / Least drabs doe noie thee, / And theeues destroie thee.

A waster in the snuff of a candle.

But hear you, my Worthy Brethren: do not you, where you see a thief in the candle, call presently for an extinguisher[…]

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

would-be

The security guard caught a would-be thief trying to break into the store last night.

common, petty

professional

casual, opportunist

sneak

car, jewel, etc.

QUANT

gang

VERB + THIEF

catch

THIEF + VERB

take sth, snatch sth, steal sth

The thief stole a laptop from the coffee shop while the owner wasn't looking.

escape with sth, get away with sth, make off with sth

break in

strike

A burglar struck the neighborhood three times last month, stealing from houses on the same street.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with

stealer

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

procrastination is the thief of time

If one puts off doing what one ought to do, one will end up not having enough time to do it properly.

Jim: Have you started looking for a job yet? Jane: Oh, that can wait till tomorrow. Jim: Procrastination is the thief of time.

time thief

Something or someone that consumes an inordinate amount of time, especially without achieving anything productive.

Genie is also an invaluable asset when gabbing on the telephone which can really be a time thief since it's so easy to lose track of time when lost in deep conversation with anothe

opportunity makes a thief

Alternative form of opportunity makes the thief.

comparison is the thief of joy

Comparing one's own situation with that of others will lead to unhappiness or bitterness.

a fair booty makes many a thief

People are easily tempted to dishonesty if there is a substantial prize to be gained.

Example Bank

water-thieves and land-thieves

Wiktionary

Take heed to false harlots, and more, ye wot what. / If noise ye heare, / Looke all be cleare: / Least drabs doe noie thee, / And theeues destroie thee.

Wiktionary

But hear you, my Worthy Brethren: do not you, where you see a thief in the candle, call presently for an extinguisher[…]

Wiktionary

Surprisingly enough, he turned out to be a thief.

Tatoeba · #18916

The thief forced her to hand over the money.

Tatoeba · #19197

A thief broke into the house to steal the money.

Tatoeba · #19214

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, thief is marked as obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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