Adjacent Words

Pilfer definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PIL'FER, v.i. To steal in small quantities; to practice petty theft; as a boy accustomed to pilfer.
A pilfering hand.
PIL'FER, v.t. To steal or gain by petty theft; to filch.
He would not pilfer the victory, and the defeat was easy.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make off with belongings of others [syn: pilfer, cabbage, purloin, pinch, abstract, snarf, swipe, hook, sneak, filch, nobble, lift]

Merriam Webster's

verb (pilfered; pilfering) Etymology: Middle French pelfrer, from pelfre booty Date: circa 1548 intransitive verb steal; especially to steal stealthily in small amounts and often again and again transitive verb steal; especially to steal in small quantities Synonyms: see steal • pilferable adjective • pilferage noun • pilferer noun • pilferproof adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (also absol.) steal (objects) esp. in small quantities. Derivatives: pilferage n. pilferer n. Etymology: ME f. AF & OF pelfrer pillage, of unkn. orig.: assoc. with archaic pill plunder: PELF

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pilfer Pil"fer, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pilfered; p. pr. & vb. n. Pilfering.] [OF. pelfrer. See Pelf.] To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practice petty theft.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pilfer Pil"fer, v. t. To take by petty theft; to filch; to steal little by little. And not a year but pilfers as he goes Some youthful grace that age would gladly keep. --Cowper.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pilfers, pilfering, pilfered) If someone pilfers, they steal things, usually small cheap things. Staff were pilfering behind the bar... When food stores close, they go to work, pilfering food for resale on the black market. VERB: V, V n • pilfering Precautions had to be taken to prevent pilfering.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Steal (by petty theft), filch, purloin. II. v. n. Steal, thieve, practise petty theft.

Moby Thesaurus

abstract, abuse, and, annex, appropriate, bag, befoul, boost, borrow, convert, cop, crib, debase, defalcate, defile, defraud, desecrate, divert, embezzle, extort, filch, foul, grab, hook, lift, make off with, maladminister, misapply, misappropriate, misemploy, mishandle, mismanage, misuse, nick, nip, palm, peculate, pervert, pinch, plunder, poach, pollute, profane, prostitute, purloin, rip off, rob, run away with, rustle, scrounge, shoplift, snaffle, snare, snatch, snitch, steal, swindle, swipe, take, thieve, violate, walk off with