theft

/θeft/ (bre, ipa) · /θeft/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtheft/ (ame, mw)

theft — noun

  • theftsingular
  • theftsplural

1. the crime of taking someone else's property without permission.

1.名詞B2
釋義

the crime of taking someone else's property without permission.

例句

Theo was charged with theft after police found the stolen laptop in his car.

charged with theft — common legal collocation

The museum installed extra cameras to prevent the theft of valuable paintings.

prevent the theft of [something]

同義詞
  • stealing

    more informal and often used as a verb-derived noun; theft is the preferred term in formal and legal contexts.

  • robbery

    involves taking property from a person by force or threat, which theft does not require.

  • burglary

    specifically refers to theft involving illegal entry into a building.

  • larceny

    formal legal term used especially in US law; largely interchangeable with theft in legal contexts.

反義詞
  • return

    the act of giving something back to its owner, the opposite of taking it.

  • restitution

    formal term for returning stolen property or compensating the victim.

文法句型

theft of [something]

report a theft

charged with theft

用法筆記

Usually uncountable when referring to the crime in general (Theft is a serious problem). Countable when referring to a specific incident (There were three thefts last night).

常見錯誤

❌My bike was stolen. I need to report the stealing.
✅My bike was stolen. I need to report the theft.
💡'Stealing' is a verb form describing an action; 'theft' is the noun for the crime itself.
❌He went to prison for robbery of a watch.
✅He went to prison for theft of a watch.
💡'Robbery' involves force or threat against a person; 'theft' does not require direct confrontation.

2. in baseball, a stolen base — when a runner runs safely to the next base while th

2.名詞C1
釋義

in baseball, a stolen base — when a runner runs safely to the next base while the pitcher is throwing, recorded as a statistic.

例句

Yan stole second base, recorded in the stats as a theft, while the pitcher threw to first.

recorded in the stats as a theft — links 'stolen base' and 'theft' terminology

Amelia leads the league in thefts this season, with twenty-two stolen bases.

lead the league in thefts — baseball statistic context

同義詞
  • stolen base

    the standard, more common term in baseball; 'theft' is a synonym used in statistics.

  • steal

    informal short form; 'He got a steal in the third inning.'

反義詞
  • caught stealing

    when a runner is thrown out while attempting to steal a base.

文法句型

a theft (in baseball)

lead the league in thefts

用法筆記

Less common than the term stolen base in everyday baseball commentary, but used in statistical summaries and formal baseball writing.