steal
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 →
2) To move quietly and secretly, as in she stole out of the room. tree →
3) In sport, to take the ball or a base from the other team, as in baseball or basketball. tree →
4) As a noun, "a steal" means something very cheap for what it is worth. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In the Torah it means to take another's property secretly. It is forbidden, and the thief must pay back many times over. The Prophets list stealing among the sins of the people, and Jeremiah uses it for false prophets who "steal" God's words from one another. Proverbs says a hungry thief is not despised but still must repay. Interpretation: "You shall not steal" is one of the Ten Commandments. The Rabbis taught that it also covers stealing a person (kidnapping) and deceiving someone with false pretenses. Jeremiah's use is read as a warning that borrowing and falsely claiming God's word is also theft. In the primary 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
- Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another. (Torah LEV.19.11, JPS 1917) tree →
- If a man steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. (Torah EXO.22.1, JPS 1917) tree →
- Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought back unto thee out of the land of Canaan; how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? (Torah GEN.44.8, JPS 1917) tree →
- Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; (Writings PRO.6.30, JPS 1917) tree →
- Swearing and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery! they break all bounds, and blood toucheth blood. (Prophets HOS.4.2, JPS 1917) tree →
- Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal My words every one from his neighbour. (Prophets JER.23.30, JPS 1917) tree →
- It is wrong to steal, even something small. tree →
- Someone stole my bike from outside the shop. tree →
- The fox crept in to steal the eggs. tree →
- She stole a quick look at the present. tree →
- The cat stole silently across the garden. tree →
- In the game, Mia managed to steal the ball. tree →
- The puppy stole the show at the school play. tree →
- Only five dollars for this book is a steal! tree →
- He steals the young monkeys in the night. tree →
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
- And Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- (22-11) But if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.
- Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another.
- Neither shalt thou steal.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «steal» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.