purloin

P3U1R1L1O1I1N1
UK/pɜːˈlɔɪn/

verb

To take the property of another, often in breach of trust; to appropriate wrongfully; to steal.

Similar
pilfercabbagepinchabstractsnarfswipehooksneak
OriginMiddle English purloynen ← Anglo-Norman purloigner ← Old French porloignier →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

verbpurloin (third-person singular simple present purloins, present participle purloining, simple past and past participle purloined)

present singular third person purloins · participle present purloining · participle past purloined · past purloined

  1. formalhumoroustransitiveusuallyTo take the property of another, often in breach of trust; to appropriate wrongfully; to steal.

    Had from his wakeful custody purloined / The guarded gold.

    1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC
    3 more examples

    Probably my acquaintance, Mr Blank, therefore, would have been able, if he had so wished to do, to purloin the papers which he mentioned.

    1900, One Who Was in It, chapter 8, in Kruger's Secret Service, pages 168–169

    The refreshment room was full of chatter and babble, which attracted everybody's envious glances. Some one had left his set in the middle of the dance, purloined a sandwich from the buffet, and was now chewing away proudly as he swerved and stamped, to the amusement of the rest.

    1916, chapter 4, in A. Cecil Curtis, transl., Royal Highness, translation of Königliche Hoheit by Thomas Mann

    Or was this simply another item Mr. Stink had purloined during his career as a gentleman thief?

    2009 October 29, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Mr Stink, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN
  2. intransitiveTo commit theft; to thieve.

    The Apostle expressly forbiddeth servants to purloin (Titus 2:10).

    1622, William Gouge, Of Domestical Duties, published 2006, →ISBN, page 454

Synonyms & antonyms

verbmake off with belongings of others

Similar
pilfercabbagepinchabstractsnarfswipehooksneakfilchnobblelift
Broader
stealrip offrip
Also see
abstractcabbagefilchfloghookliftnobblepilferpinchprigsnarfsneakstealswipe

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchporloignier
  2. Anglo-Normanpurloigner“to put far away”
  3. Middle Englishpurloynen“to remove”
  4. Englishpurloin

From Middle English purloynen (“to remove”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman purloigner (“to put far away”), one of the variants of Old French porloignier. Doublet of prolong.

More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian присвоявам, крада
  • присвоявам (prisvojavam)to take the property of another
  • крада (krada)to commit theft; to thieve
Dutch ontvreemden, ontwenden
  • ontvreemdento take the property of another
  • ontwendento take the property of another
  • stelento commit theft; to thieve
Finnish varastaa, kähveltää
  • varastaato take the property of another
  • kähveltääto take the property of another
  • anastaato take the property of another
French dépouiller
  • dépouillerto take the property of another
German entwenden, mitgehen lassen
  • entwendento take the property of another
  • mitgehen lassento take the property of another
  • stehlento commit theft; to thieve
Greek κλέβω
  • κλέβω (klévo)to take the property of another
Hungarian ellop, lop
  • ellopto take the property of another
  • lopto take the property of another
  • elorozto take the property of another
  • orozto take the property of another
  • eltulajdonítto take the property of another
  • elemelto take the property of another
Icelandic stela, taka
  • stelato take the property of another
  • takato take the property of another
  • rænato take the property of another
Italian rubare
  • rubareto commit theft; to thieve
Korean 빼앗다
  • 빼앗다 (ppaeatda)to take the property of another
Russian присва́ивать, красть
  • присва́ивать (prisváivatʹ)to take the property of another
  • красть (krastʹ)to commit theft; to thieve
  • ворова́ть (vorovátʹ)to commit theft; to thieve
Swedish stjäla, beslagta
  • stjälato take the property of another
  • beslagtato take the property of another
  • stjälato commit theft; to thieve
  • tjuvato commit theft; to thieve
  • snattato commit theft; to thieve
Turkish aşırmak, çalmak
  • aşırmakto take the property of another
  • çalmakto take the property of another
  • yürütmekto take the property of another

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with purloin

joincoingroinloinsirloinrejoinenjoinadjoinquoinconjoincoignDes Moinesdisjoinfoingroyneobsidional coinsubjoinThe Groyne
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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