PURLOINED Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

purloined

verb

past tense of purloin

as in stole

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep the studio stepped up security, fearing that someone might attempt to purloin a copy of the script for the show's season finale

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of purloined The toys were not purloined, kidnapped, auctioned by Sotheby's or flipped by greedy collectors on eBay. — Steve Hendrix The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026 In November 1913, Los Angeles rejoiced to welcome a lavish, steady [and more or less purloined] flow of water. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 Sanft characterized Kading as an unethical former cop who purloined a recording of the confidential proffer for profit. — John L. Smith, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026 The thieves also purloined a small double-sided painting, with the Virgin and Child on one side and Christ on the other, that the Sicilian regional government had bought from the auction house Christie's back in 2003. — Willem Marx, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026 In 2017, administrators at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh were heartbroken to learn that hundreds of rare books, art prints and maps worth more than $8 million had been purloined from its rare books room. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 15 July 2026 The world press was less restrained; the Post, the Daily Mail, the Hindustan Times, and many others ran screaming headlines, accompanied by photographs of the climbers purloined from social media. — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Your duty to intervene increases with the value of the object and the likelihood it will be purloined. — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purloined

Verb

Earlier this month, suspects stole more than $40,000 worth of beef from a truck in Northeast Philadelphia.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
In particular, police found out about several toxic incidents, one in which Fox’s co-workers stole her phone, according to Oxygen.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of stole

Verb

Thieves made off with nearly $1 million in sports, Pokémon and other trading cards swiped from a FedEx truck in Southern California last week, police said Monday.

— Dennis Romero, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
Two full pallets of collectible cards were stolen, and some cards on a third pallet were also swiped when thieves broke into a FedEx truck, according to police.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of swiped

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purloin

purloined

purloiner

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“Purloined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purloined. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of purloined

verb

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