thief

UK: /ˈθiːf/ US: /θif/ ,(thēf )

Inflections of 'thief' (n): npl: thieves

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

thief /θif/   n. [countable] , pl. thieves 

/θivz/  
1. one who steals, esp. secretly.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

thief  (thēf ), n., pl. thieves. 

1. a person who steals, esp. secretly or without open force;
   one guilty of theft or larceny.

• bef. 900; Middle English; Old English thēof; cognate with Dutch dief, German Dieb, Old Norse thjōfr, Gothic thiufs

Synonyms

burglar, pickpocket, highwayman. Thief, robber refer to one who steals. A thief takes the goods or property of another by stealth without the latter's knowledge:
like a thief in the night.
A robber trespasses upon the house, property, or person of another, and makes away with things of value, even at the cost of violence:
A robber held up two women on the street.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

thief / θiːf/ noun ( thieves / θiːvz/)

1. a person who steals something from another

Etymology: Old English thēof; related to Old Frisian thiāf, Old Saxon thiof, Old High German diob, Old Norse thjōfr, Gothic thiufs

ˈthievish adjective