theft

theft: theft, larceny, robbery, burglary mean the act or crime of stealing, though they have differences in legal application. The same differences in implications and applications are observable in the agent nouns thief, larcener or larcenist, robber, burglar, denoting one who steals.

Theft and thief are the most general and the least technical of these terms; they imply the taking and removing of another's property usually by stealth or without his knowledge and always without his consent. The terms are often so broad that they may include reference to any taking of another's property without his consent (as by pilfering, purloining, swindling, embezzling, or plagiarizing)

{
the theft of a purse
}

{
the theft of the city's money by grafters
}

{
a thief removed his watch from his pocket
}

Larceny and the less common agent nouns larcener and larcenist are legal terms implying direct theft but excluding such specialized forms as swindling, embezzlement, and plagiarizing. The terms connote an unlawful or felonious act, a removal of another's property from the place where it belongs, and complete possession, even for a moment, by the thief

{
the shoplifter was not apprehended until she had left the store, so that there would be proof of larceny
}

{
the maid was found guilty of larceny
}

Grand larceny and petty larceny are common in ordinary use as indicating respectively a theft of an appreciable amount and a theft of a negligible amount. Robbery and robber in their precise legal use imply the taking of another's property from his person or in his presence by means of violence or intimidation

{
highway robbery
}

{
the paymaster was attacked and the payroll money was seized by armed robbers
}

Burglary and burglar in legal use imply a breaking and entering with an intent to commit a felony, usually that of larceny or robbery. In the laws of different states and nations the detailed specifications of the crime, for example, the time of occurrence (nighttime often being stipulated) or the actual commission of the felony, may or may not be considered material to the charge

{
the burglary of their home was committed during their absence for the evening
}

{
she lived in constant fear of burglars
}

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Synonyms:

Larceny, robbery, stealing, pilfering, purloining, thievery / Peculation, embezzlement, fraud, swindling, thievery, thieving

Look at other dictionaries:

theft — n [Old English thiefth]: larceny; broadly: a criminal taking of the property or services of another without consent ◇ Theft commonly encompasses by statute a variety of forms of stealing formerly treated as distinct crimes. grand theft: theft of… … Law dictionary
theft — /theft/, n. 1. the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny. 2. an instance of this. 3. Archaic. something stolen. [bef. 900; ME; OE thefth, theofth; see THIEF, TH1; c. ON thyfth … Universalium
theft — [θeft] noun [countable, uncountable] the crime of stealing or an act of stealing something: • An employee was fired for theft. • Your property should be insured against theft. theft of • Thefts of property from cars rose 24%. iˈdentity ˌtheft… … Financial and business terms
Theft — • The secret taking of another s property against the reasonable will of that other Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Theft Theft … Catholic encyclopedia
theft — [θeft] n [: Old English; Origin: thiefth] 1.) [U] the crime of stealing →↑thief, burglary ↑burglary, robbery ↑robbery ▪ Car theft is on the increase. ▪ an arrest for petty theft (=stealing small things) ▪ Three men were charged with attemp … Dictionary of contemporary English
Theft — Theft, n. [OE. thefte, AS. [thorn]i[ e]f[eth]e, [thorn][=y]f[eth]e, [thorn]e[ o]f[eth]e. See {Thief}.] 1. (Law) The act of stealing; specifically, the felonious taking and removing of personal property, with an intent to deprive the rightful… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
theft — [theft] n. [ME thefte < OE thiefth: see THIEF & TH1] the act or an instance of stealing; larceny SYN. THEFT is the general term and LARCENY the legal term for the unlawful or felonious taking away of another s property without his or her… … English World dictionary
theft — [ θeft ] noun count or uncount ** the crime of stealing. Someone who commits this crime is called a thief: There have been a lot of thefts recently. theft of: He was charged with the theft of club funds … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
theft — theft; theft·bote; … English syllables
theft — (n.) O.E. þeofð (W.Saxon þiefð), from P.Gmc. *theubitho (Cf. O.Fris. thiufthe, O.N. þyfð), from *theubaz thief (see THIEF (Cf. thief)) + suffix itha (cognate with L. itatem) … Etymology dictionary

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theft

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