Synonyms for thief
Most common
Definitions
- n. 1
One who carries out a theft.
Related words
- Word family
- thiefdom thiefhood thieflike thiefly thiefness thiefy thievish thieve
- Phrases
- liquor thief palm thief sneak thief time thief oxygen thief sampling thief thief tube
- Is a kind of
- grabber seizer villain criminal
Forms
- Plural
- thieves → stealers, robbers, shoplifters, bandits…
Choose the right word
A robber seeks to obtain the property of others by force or intimidation; a thief by stealth and secrecy.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- robber The robber tried to plunge the knife into the boy.
- bandit A bandit will be the best underling.
- poacher The guards are trying to find a poacher.
- waster What's your favorite time waster?
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| thief | rising | |
| robber | rising | |
| bandit | rising | |
| stealer | rising | |
| shoplifter | steady | |
| poacher | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- prig1
- 5 letters
- filch1
- 6 letters
- robber2, bandit2, lifter2, waster2
- 7 letters
- booster2, poacher2, stealer2, filcher
- 8 letters
- pilferer, larcener
- 9 letters
- embezzler4, purloiner, larcenist, peculator, drawlatch
- 10 letters
- shoplifter3, plagiarist
- 12 letters
- kleptomaniac5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (robber2 = 2 syllables).