setting a thief to catch a thief

A form of set a thief to catch a thief — To employ an unscrupulous person in order to catch another unscrupulous person.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of set a thief to catch a thief
Cite this entry
APA

setting a thief to catch a thief. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/setting%20a%20thief%20to%20catch%20a%20thief

MLA

“setting a thief to catch a thief.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/setting%20a%20thief%20to%20catch%20a%20thief. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “setting a thief to catch a thief,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/setting%20a%20thief%20to%20catch%20a%20thief.

Source: setting a thief to catch a thief on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.