Meanings
plural shoplifters
- A person who shoplifts, one who steals from shops.
Shoplifters will be prosecuted.
3 more examples
The shoplifters are much less to be dreaded than the sneak, as they do not carry off cash, rarely any very valuable property […]
1832, Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country, volume 6, page 478Like their friends the "draggers," the "hoisters" or shoplifters are having a thin time these days, […]
1945, Jack Henry, What Price Crime?, page 92[…] just as the unchastised teenage shoplifter, mistaking society’s indulgence for applause, will evolve into a bloodthirsty hired killer, it is inevitable that the author of “The Pencil” will one day morph into the author of “The Toothpick.”
2007 October 28, Joe Queenan, “Consider the Toothpick”, in The New York TimesSynonyms: shop stealer
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who shoplifts, one who steals from shops.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*skup-
- Old Englishscoppa
- Middle Englishschoppe
- Englishshop
- Englishlifter
- Englishshoplifter
Translations
Catalan lladre de botigues
- lladre de botiguesone who steals from shops
Chinese Mandarin 商店小偷
- 商店小偷 (shāngdiàn xiǎotōu)one who steals from shops
Dutch winkeldief
- winkeldiefone who steals from shops
Finnish myymälävaras
- myymälävarasone who steals from shops
French voleur à l’étalage, voleuse à l’étalage
- voleur à l’étalageone who steals from shops
- voleuse à l’étalageone who steals from shops
German Ladendieb, Ladendiebin
- Ladendiebone who steals from shops
- Ladendiebinone who steals from shops
Hungarian bolti tolvaj
- bolti tolvajone who steals from shops
Icelandic búðarþjófur
- búðarþjófurone who steals from shops
Irish gadaí siopa
- gadaí siopaone who steals from shops
Italian taccheggiatore
- taccheggiatoreone who steals from shops
Japanese 万引き, 万引
- 万引き (manbiki)one who steals from shops
- 万引 (manbiki)one who steals from shops
Korean 들치기
- 들치기 (deulchigi)one who steals from shops
Māori ringa kamakama
- ringa kamakamaone who steals from shops
Norwegian Bokmål butikktjuv, butikktyv
- butikktjuvone who steals from shops
- butikktyvone who steals from shops
Polish złodziej sklepowy, złodziejka sklepowa
- złodziej sklepowyone who steals from shops
- złodziejka sklepowaone who steals from shops
Russian магази́нный вор, магази́нная воро́вка
- магази́нный вор (magazínnyj vor)one who steals from shops
- магази́нная воро́вка (magazínnaja voróvka)one who steals from shops
Spanish tendero, hurtador
- tenderoone who steals from shops
- hurtadorone who steals from shops
- rateroone who steals from shops
- ladronzueloone who steals from shops
- descuideroone who steals from shops
- shacadorone who steals from shops
Swedish snattare
- snattareone who steals from shops
Welsh siopleidr, siopladrones
- siopleidrone who steals from shops
- siopladronesone who steals from shops
Cite this entry
shoplifter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shoplifter
“shoplifter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shoplifter. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shoplifter,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shoplifter.
Source: shoplifter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.