Meanings
nounthief (plural thieves)
plural thieves · alternative theef
- One who carries out a theft.
water-thieves and land-thieves
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii] - One who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.
Take heed to false harlots, and more, ye wot what. / If noise ye heare, / Looke all be cleare: / Least drabs doe noie thee, / And theeues destroie thee.
1878, Thomas Tusser, “74. A Digression.”, in Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC; republished as W[illiam] Payne, Sidney J[ohn Hervon] Herrtage, editors, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], 1878, →OCLC, stanza 4, page 166
Synonyms & antonyms
Narrower
burglarcat burglarmuggerpickpocketrobberbanditbrigandburglaresscutpurseconfidence tricksterconverterdacoitdragsmanfraudsterhighwaymankleptomaniaclooterpirateplundererpoacherporch piraterustlersnaggersnatchersneak thiefswiperthiefessPeopleabductorkidnapperWords & ideasplagiaristVehiclescarjackerhijackerjackertwockerSafescracksmansafebreaker
nouna criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*þeubaz
- Proto-West Germanic*þeub
- Old Englishþēof
- Middle Englishthef
- Englishthief
From Middle English thef, theef, þef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic *þeub, from Proto-Germanic *þeubaz. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tjoof (“thief”), West Frisian tsjeaf (“thief”), Dutch dief (“thief”), Low German Deef, Deev (“thief”), German Dieb (“thief”), Danish tyv (“thief”), Swedish tjuv (“thief”), Icelandic þjófur (“thief”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans dief
- diefone who carries out theft
Ancient Greek κλέπτης, κλώψ
- κλέπτης (kléptēs)one who carries out theft
- κλώψ (klṓps)one who carries out theft
- φώρ (phṓr)one who carries out theft
Arabic لِصّ, لِصَّة
- لِصّ (liṣṣ)one who carries out theft
- لِصَّة (liṣṣa)one who carries out theft
- سَارِق (sāriq)one who carries out theft
- سَارِقَة (sāriqa)one who carries out theft
- حَرَامِيّ (ḥarāmiyy)one who carries out theft
- حَرَامِيَّة (ḥarāmiyya)one who carries out theft
Basque lapur, ebasle
- lapurone who carries out theft
- ebasleone who carries out theft
Bengali চোর
- চোর (cōr)one who carries out theft
Bulgarian краде́ц, арами́я
- краде́ц (kradéc)one who carries out theft
- арами́я (aramíja)one who carries out theft
- арами́йка (aramíjka)one who carries out theft
Catalan lladre
- lladreone who carries out theft
Chinese Cantonese 賊 /贼
- 賊 /贼one who carries out theft
Chinese Mandarin 賊 /贼, 盜賊 /盗贼
- 賊 /贼 (zéi)one who carries out theft
- 盜賊 /盗贼 (dàozéi)one who carries out theft
- 小偷 (xiǎotōu)one who carries out theft
- 宵小 (xiāoxiǎo)one who carries out theft
- 竊賊 /窃贼 (qièzéi)one who carries out theft
Czech zloděj, zlodějka
- zlodějone who carries out theft
- zlodějkaone who carries out theft
Danish tyv, tyveknægt
- tyvone who carries out theft
- tyveknægtone who carries out theft
Dutch dief, dievegge
- diefone who carries out theft
- dieveggeone who carries out theft
- gannefone who carries out theft
Esperanto ŝtelisto
- ŝtelistoone who carries out theft
Estonian varas
- varasone who carries out theft
Finnish varas, voro
- varasone who carries out theft
- voroone who carries out theft
- ryövärione who carries out theft
- rosvoone who carries out theft
French voleur, voleuse
- voleurone who carries out theft
- voleuseone who carries out theft
German Dieb, Diebin
- Diebone who carries out theft
- Diebinone who carries out theft
Greek κλέφτης
- κλέφτης (kléftis)one who carries out theft
Hebrew גַּנָּב
- גַּנָּב (ganáv)one who carries out theft
Hindi चोर, दुज़्द
- चोर (cor)one who carries out theft
- दुज़्द (duzd)one who carries out theft
- दुज्द (dujd)one who carries out theft
- सारिक़ (sāriq)one who carries out theft
- सारिक (sārik)one who carries out theft
- सारिक़ा (sāriqā)one who carries out theft
- सारिका (sārikā)one who carries out theft
Hungarian tolvaj
- tolvajone who carries out theft
Icelandic þjófur
- þjófurone who carries out theft
Indonesian pencuri
- pencurione who carries out theft
Irish gadaí
- gadaíone who carries out theft
Italian ladro, ladra
- ladroone who carries out theft
- ladraone who carries out theft
- ladruncoloone who carries out theft
- borsaioloone who carries out theft
- scippatoreone who carries out theft
- marioloone who carries out theft
- taccheggiatoreone who carries out theft
- malandrinoone who carries out theft
- borseggiatoreone who carries out theft
Japanese 泥棒, 盗賊
- 泥棒 (dorobō)one who carries out theft
- 盗賊 (tōzoku)one who carries out theft
- 窃盗者 (settō-sha)one who carries out theft
Korean 도둑, 도적
- 도둑 (doduk)one who carries out theft
- 도적 (dojeok)one who carries out theft
Latin fūr, latro
- fūrone who carries out theft
- latroone who carries out theft
Latvian zaglis, zagle
- zaglisone who carries out theft
- zagleone who carries out theft
Lithuanian vagis, vagė
- vagisone who carries out theft
- vagėone who carries out theft
Malay pencuri
- pencurione who carries out theft
Māori kaiā, tāhae
- kaiāone who carries out theft
- tāhaeone who carries out theft
- whānakoone who carries out theft
Norwegian Bokmål tyv, tjuv
- tyvone who carries out theft
- tjuvone who carries out theft
Polish złodziej, złodziejka
- złodziejone who carries out theft
- złodziejkaone who carries out theft
Portuguese ladrão, ladra
- ladrãoone who carries out theft
- ladraone who carries out theft
Punjabi ਚੋਰ
- ਚੋਰ (cor)one who carries out theft
Romanian hoț, hoață
- hoțone who carries out theft
- hoațăone who carries out theft
Russian вор, воро́вка
- вор (vor)one who carries out theft
- воро́вка (voróvka)one who carries out theft
- ворю́га (vorjúga)one who carries out theft
- вори́шка (voríška)one who carries out theft
Scottish Gaelic mèirleach
- mèirleachone who carries out theft
Slovak zlodej, zlodejka
- zlodejone who carries out theft
- zlodejkaone who carries out theft
Spanish ladrón, caco
- ladrónone who carries out theft
- cacoone who carries out theft
- chorizoone who carries out theft
- manganteone who carries out theft
- amigo de lo ajenoone who carries out theft
- chorione who carries out theft
- shacadorone who carries out theft
- chorifaiteone who carries out theft
Swahili mwizi, mnyang'anyi class I/II
- mwizione who carries out theft
- mnyang'anyi class I/IIone who carries out theft
Swedish tjuv
- tjuvone who carries out theft
Tagalog magnanakaw
- magnanakawone who carries out theft
Tamil திருடன், திருடி
- திருடன் (tiruṭaṉ)one who carries out theft
- திருடி (tiruṭi)one who carries out theft
- திருடர் (tiruṭar)one who carries out theft
- கள்ளன் (kaḷḷaṉ)one who carries out theft
- கள்ளி (kaḷḷi)one who carries out theft
- கள்ளர் (kaḷḷar)one who carries out theft
Thai ขโมย, โจร
- ขโมย (kà-mooi)one who carries out theft
- โจร (joon)one who carries out theft
Turkish hırsız, uğru
- hırsızone who carries out theft
- uğruone who carries out theft
- kuldurone who carries out theft
- karakone who carries out theft
- haramione who carries out theft
Ukrainian зло́дій, зло́дійка
- зло́дій (zlódij)one who carries out theft
- зло́дійка (zlódijka)one who carries out theft
- краді́й (kradíj)one who carries out theft
- краді́йка (kradíjka)one who carries out theft
Urdu چور, دُزْد
- چور (cor)one who carries out theft
- دُزْد (duzd)one who carries out theft
- سارِق (sāriq)one who carries out theft
- سارِقَہ (sāriqa)one who carries out theft
Vietnamese kẻ trộm, kẻ cắp
- kẻ trộmone who carries out theft
- kẻ cắpone who carries out theft
- kẻ ăn trộmone who carries out theft
Welsh lleidr
- lleidrone who carries out theft
Yiddish גנבֿ, גנבֿטע
- גנבֿ (ganev)one who carries out theft
- גנבֿטע (ganevte)one who carries out theft
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with thief
briefreliefbeliefbeefreefgriefmotifserifTenerifesifmassifsheafkifdebrieflieffiefkiefautumn leafdisleafenfeofffeoffin chiefmaladifmeef
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
thief. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thief
MLA
“thief.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thief. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thief,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thief.
Source: thief on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.