/θɛft/
OriginFrom Middle English theft, thefte, þefte, þefþe, þiefþe, Old English þīefþ, from Proto-West Germanic *þiubiþu, from Proto-Germanic *þiubiþō, from *þeubaz (“thief”), equivalent to thief or thieve + -t (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Old Frisian thiuvethe, thiufthe (“theft”), dialectal Dutch diefte (“theft”), obsolete German Diebde (“theft”), Icelandic þýfð (“theft”).
- countable, uncountableThe act of stealing property.
“resource theft”
“Bike theft is on the rise.”
“A suspect was arrested for the theft of a gold necklace.”
Formsthefts(plural)