forsteal

F4O1R1S1T1E1A1L1

verb

To steal away, rob, deprive.

OriginMiddle English forstelen ← Old English forstelan ← Proto-Germanic *farstelaną →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

forsteal1

verbforsteal (third-person singular simple present forsteals, present participle forstealing, simple past forstole, past participle forstolen)

present singular third person forsteals · participle present forstealing · past forstole · participle past forstolen

  1. obsoletetransitiveTo steal away, rob, deprive.

    Be ye not willing to hoard to you gold hoards on earth, where rust and moth fortake it, and where thieves delve it and forsteal, […]

    1861, Thomas Oswald Cockayne, Spoon and sparrow

forsteal2

nounforsteal (plural forsteals)

plural forsteals

  1. obsoleteObsolete form of forestall.

Origin

forsteal · verb

  1. Proto-Germanic*farstelaną
  2. Old Englishforstelan“to steal away, steal, rob, deprive”
  3. Middle Englishforstelen
  4. Englishforsteal

From Middle English forstelen, from Old English forstelan (“to steal away, steal, rob, deprive”), from Proto-Germanic *farstelaną, *frastelaną (“to steal, steal away”), equivalent to for- + steal. Cognate with Middle Low German vorstelen (“to steal away”), Middle High German ferstelan (“to steal away”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

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forsteal · noun

Variant of forestall.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

forestalFlorestaLaforestforelast
Cite this entry
APA

forsteal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forsteal

MLA

“forsteal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forsteal. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forsteal,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forsteal.

Source: forsteal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.