steal – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of steal

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to steal
Participle: stolen
Gerund: stealing

Cognates

See the 9 cognates of steal

Indicative

Present

Isteal
yousteal
he;she;itsteals
westeal
yousteal
theysteal

Perfect

Ihave stolen
youhave stolen
he;she;ithas stolen
wehave stolen
youhave stolen
theyhave stolen

Past

Istole
youstole
he;she;itstole
westole
youstole
theystole

Pluperfect

Ihad stolen
youhad stolen
he;she;ithad stolen
wehad stolen
youhad stolen
theyhad stolen

Future

Iwill steal
youwill steal
he;she;itwill steal
wewill steal
youwill steal
theywill steal

Future Perfect

Iwill have stolen
youwill have stolen
he;she;itwill have stolen
wewill have stolen
youwill have stolen
theywill have stolen

Subjunctive

Present

Isteal
yousteal
he;she;itsteal
westeal
yousteal
theysteal

Perfect

Ihave stolen
youhave stolen
he;she;ithave stolen
wehave stolen
youhave stolen
theyhave stolen

Imperfect

Istole
youstole
he;she;itstole
westole
youstole
theystole

Pluperfect

Ihad stolen
youhad stolen
he;she;ithad stolen
wehad stolen
youhad stolen
theyhad stolen

Conditional

Present

Iwould steal
youwould steal
he;she;itwould steal
wewould steal
youwould steal
theywould steal

Perfect

Iwould have stolen
youwould have stolen
he;she;itwould have stolen
wewould have stolen
youwould have stolen
theywould have stolen

Imperative

yousteal
weLet's steal
yousteal

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam stealing
youare stealing
he;she;itis stealing
weare stealing
youare stealing
theyare stealing

Perfect

Ihave been stealing
youhave been stealing
he;she;ithas been stealing
wehave been stealing
youhave been stealing
theyhave been stealing

Past

Iwas stealing
youwere stealing
he;she;itwas stealing
wewere stealing
youwere stealing
theywere stealing

Pluperfect

Ihad been stealing
youhad been stealing
he;she;ithad been stealing
wehad been stealing
youhad been stealing
theyhad been stealing

Future

Iwill be stealing
youwill be stealing
he;she;itwill be stealing
wewill be stealing
youwill be stealing
theywill be stealing

Future Perfect

Iwill have been stealing
youwill have been stealing
he;she;itwill have been stealing
wewill have been stealing
youwill have been stealing
theywill have been stealing

Conditional

Present

Iwould be stealing
youwould be stealing
he;she;itwould be stealing
wewould be stealing
youwould be stealing
theywould be stealing

Perfect

Iwould have been stealing
youwould have been stealing
he;she;itwould have been stealing
wewould have been stealing
youwould have been stealing
theywould have been stealing

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'steal'

bespeak, break, speak, steal,

Verbs similar to 'steal'

seal, sheal, stead, steak, steam, stean, stear, steel, sweal, aneal,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

to steal
snitch
steal
prig
to take something that does not belong to one
abduct, abstract, appropriate, bag, bandit, bone, boost, borrow, burglarize, burgle, cheat, chore, convert, cop, cozen, crib, embezzle, filch, fleece, flog, gaffle, half-inch, heist, jack, kidnap, knock off, kype, kyper, liberate, lift, loot, make off with, mill, misappropriate, moonlight requisition, nick, own, peculate, pickpocket, pilfer, pillage, pinch, pirate, plunder, poach, pocket, prig, purloin, raid, ransack, rape, reave, rip, rip off, rob, run off with, snag, snatch, swindle, swipe, thieve, walk off with
To plunder
gilravage
to rob
heave
to cut a purse
nip
quickly and quietly
snitch
to move stealthily
creep, hake, shug, skulk, slink, slive, sneak, tiptoe
rob
burglarize, thieve, filch, loot, pilfer, swindle, plunder, embezzle
lure
allure, draw, gain, win

Antonyms

to take something that does not belong to one
buy, earn, purchase, receive, return
to receive goods or services in exchange for money
barter, pay, sell, buy
to give money, or other compensation, in exchange for goods or services
buy, default, discharge, earn, levant, repudiate, pay, waive, welsh
lure
repel, repulse, disgust, revolt

Additional Information

Phrasal Verbs

Etymology

1. O.E. stelan "to commit a theft" (class IV strong verb; past tense stæl, pp. stolen), from P.Gmc. *stelanan (cf. O.S. stelan, O.N., O.Fris. stela, Du. stelen, O.H.G. stelan, Ger. stehlen, Goth. stilan), of unknown origin. Most IE words for steal have roots in notions of "hide," "carry off," or "collect, heap up." Attested as a verb of stealthy motion from c.1300 (e.g. to steal away, c.1369); of glances, sighs, etc., from 1586. The noun meaning "a bargain" is Amer.Eng. colloquial attested by 1942; baseball sense of "a stolen base" is from 1867. To steal (someone) blind first recorded 1974.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Germanic *stelaną
4. Proto-West Germanic *stelan
5. Old English stelan
6. Middle English stelen
7. English steal
8. Inherited from Middle English stelen, from Old English stelan, from Proto-West Germanic *stelan, from Proto-Germanic *stelaną.
9. Cognate with Bavarian stöhn (“to steal”), Dutch stelen (“to steal”), German and Low German stehlen (“to steal”), Luxembourgish stielen (“to steal”), Danish stjæle (“to steal”), Faroese stjala (“to steal”), Icelandic stela (“to steal”), Norwegian Bokmål stjele (“to steal”), Norwegian Nynorsk stela, stele (“to steal”), Swedish stjäla (“to steal”), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (stilan, “to steal”). For the meaning development compare with Russian красть (krastʹ, “to steal”) and Russian кра́сться (krástʹsja, “to stalk, to prowl, to slink”).
10. etymology notes
11. Proposed etymologies beyond Germanic are numerous and include
12. * Proto-Indo-European *ster-: compare Welsh herw (“theft, raid”), Ancient Greek στερέω (steréō, “to deprive of”)
13. * Proto-Indo-European *stel(H)- (“to stretch”): compare Albanian pë/mbështjell (“to confuse, mess up, mix, wrap up”), Old Church Slavonic стєлѭ (steljǫ, “I spread out (bed, roof)”), Ancient Greek τηλία (tēlía, “playing table”)
14. * Proto-Indo-European *tsel- (“to sneak”): compare Sanskrit त्सरति (tsárati, “creep, sneak up on”) and other forms under Pokorny 5. *sel- "schleichen, kriechen" See: Dutch 'stelen', Luxembourgish 'stielen', Danish 'stjæle', Faroese 'stjala', Icelandic 'stela', Norwegian 'stjele', Norwegian, nynorsk 'stela', Swedish 'stjäla', Sanskrit 'त्सरति'.

Verbs referencing "steal"

Tok Pisin stilim.

Sample Sentences

  • [...] mine, and his right held out: at every motion of my fingers his countenance betokened keen attention; there was an expression of anxiety as he tried to imitate the motions; then a smile came stealing out as he thought he could do so, and spread into a joyous laugh the moment he succeeded, and felt me pat his head, and Laura clap him heartily upon the back, and jump up and down in her joy. (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • The first man I saw, was seated at his loom, at work. He had been there six years, and was to remain, I think, three more. He had been convicted as a receiver of stolen goods, but even after his long imprisonment, denied his guilt, and said he had been hardly dealt by. It was his second offence. (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] convictions. He entertained us with a long account of his achievements, which he narrated with such infinite relish, that he actually seemed to lick his lips as he told us racy anecdotes of stolen plate, and of old ladies whom he had watched as they sat at windows in silver spectacles (he had plainly had an eye to their metal even from the other side of the street ) and had afterwards robbed. [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] of the great window, looking as wan and unearthly as if he had been summoned from the grave. He had a white rabbit in his breast; and when the little creature, getting down upon the ground, stole back into the cell, and he, being dismissed, crept timidly after it, I thought it would have been very hard to say in what respect the man was the nobler animal of the two. (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • The other case, was that of a man who once went to a certain distiller 's and stole a copper measure containing a quantity of liquor. He was pursued and taken with the property in his possession, and was sentenced to two years ’ imprisonment. On coming out of the jail, at the [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] and taken with the property in his possession, and was sentenced to two years ’ imprisonment. On coming out of the jail, at the expiration of that term, he went back to the same distiller 's, and stole the same copper measure containing the same quantity of liquor. There was not the slightest reason to suppose that the man wished to return to prison: indeed everything, but the commission of the [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • “ Poor child ! ” said Rachel, wiping her eyes; “ but thee mustn't feel so. The Lord hath ordered it so that never hath a fugitive been stolen from our village. I trust thine will not be the first. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] it. The very river, as though it shared one 's feelings of compassion for the extinct tribes who lived so pleasantly here, in their blessed ignorance of white existence, hundreds of years ago, steals out of its way to ripple near this mound: and there are few places where the Ohio sparkles more brightly than in the Big Grave Creek. (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • All this I see as I sit in the little stern-gallery mentioned just now. Evening slowly steals upon the landscape and changes it before me, when we stop to set some emigrants ashore. (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • ‘The pistol was one of a pair stolen some days previous from a baker in Independence, and the legal authorities have the description of the other. ’ (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • Proof of you stealing from Thompson Realty Group. I 've been collecting statements (Stepmom from Hell)
  • Stealing franchises does. Scary Movie was our franchise... Motherfucker ! (Scary Movie)