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# steal

«steal» in Mova's school dictionary: **To take something that belongs to someone else without…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (steal, steals, stole, stolen, stealing); noun (a steal — informal)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To take something that belongs to someone else without permission and without meaning to give it back. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#m1)

2) To move quietly and secretly, as in she stole out of the room. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#m2)

3) In sport, to take the ball or a base from the other team, as in baseball or basketball. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#m3)

4) As a noun, "a steal" means something very cheap for what it is worth. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life and in lessons about right and wrong, stealing is taking what is not yours; it is unfair, against the law and hurts trust, even with small things like sweets or a friend's pencil. In stories, thieves steal treasure, and a character may "steal a glance" (look quickly and secretly). Phrases: "steal a look", "steal the show" (be the best part of a performance), "steal someone's heart", "steal second base". If something is stolen, tell a trusted adult.

### examples

- It is wrong to steal, even something small. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#x1)
- Someone stole my bike from outside the shop. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#x2)
- The fox crept in to steal the eggs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#x3)
- She stole a quick look at the present. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#x4)
- The cat stole silently across the garden. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#x5)
- In the game, Mia managed to steal the ball. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#x6)
- The puppy stole the show at the school play. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#x7)
- Only five dollars for this book is a steal! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#x8)
- He steals the young monkeys in the night. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/#x9)

### note

Irregular verb: steal, stole, stolen (not "stealed"). Homophone trap: "steal" (take) sounds the same as "steel" (strong metal). You steal a thing; you rob a person or a place (they robbed the bank and stole the money). In maths problems, "a fox steals 3 of the 12 eggs" means subtract: 12 − 3 = 9 are left.

### In the corpora

- [A text saying a parcel is held and asking for a small payment is a common scam to steal bank details.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/9-when-money-is-tight/18/)
- [Anyone offering free game coins for your login is a scammer trying to steal the account or a parent's card details.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/9-when-money-is-tight/19/)
- [A message saying your account will be deleted unless you log in through a link is phishing, a trick to steal your login.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/15-bots-are-not-doctors-helplines-are-people/15/)
- [Real games never ask for your password; "free coins for your login" is a trick to steal accounts.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/16-secrets-scams-telling/8/)
- [The Mona Lisa became even more famous after it was stolen in 1911 and found two years later.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/40-show-day-the-exhibition-the-concert-and-the-big-arts-quiz/6/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «steal» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steal/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.