thieves 1 of 2

noun

plural of thief
as in robbers
one who steals a thief has been stealing wallets and valuables from the lockers at the gym

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

thieves

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of thieve
as in steals
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep someone's been thieving my cookies!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 thieves
Noun
The reporter asked the witnesses if the person who shot at the car were thieves. — Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026 When the legitimate truck arrived, the cargo thieves had already left with the bourbon. — Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Why identity thieves rarely stop at one account Vranic and Marquis did not stop at one account per victim. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026 The thieves then find vehicle keys the victims may hide in places such as magnetic lockboxes and steal the vehicle or other valuables such as credit cards, Grieshaber said. — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 June 2026 For the second time in just over a month, the owners of a Pokémon card shop in the Pico-Robertson area are cleaning up after thieves targeted their business. — Amanda Starrantino, CBS News, 30 June 2026 By placing high-quality stickers over existing table codes, or replacing plastic menu stands entirely, thieves intercept the payment process. — Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 29 June 2026 Over the decades the O’odham placed some barbed wire along the border to keep livestock from straying into the neighboring country, limiting the spread of maladies such as foot-and-mouth disease and hindering cattle thieves. — Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026 For several years, security experts have been warning against posting screenshots or photos of boarding passes on social media, as online scammers and thieves have been able to extract significant personal information from them. — Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thieves
  1. robbers
  2. steals
  3. burglars
  4. swipes
Noun
  • Deputy Solicitor General Eric Feigin said blocking such searches would handicap police searching for murderers, kidnappers and robbers.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 29 June 2026
  • It’s suspected this was a security measure, meant to confound robbers.
    — Mark Price Updated June 22, Charlotte Observer, 22 June 2026
Definition of robbers
Verb
  • John Krasinski stars as a jet-setting art thief who steals priceless paintings to help uncover clues as to the whereabouts of the fabled Fountain of Youth.
    — Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Carr is not a point-of-attack defender, gets beat in isolation and doesn’t collect nearly as many steals for a player with his physical gifts.
    — Law Murray, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of steals
Noun
  • In recent months, burglars have hit shops in Burbank, Anaheim, Brentwood and Simi Valley, stealing anywhere from thousands to more than $100,000 worth of Pokémon and sports cards during quick smash-and-grab burglaries.
    — Amanda Starrantino, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • The body lay unsecured for more than 10 hours while burglars twice picked through the dead man’s room.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of burglars
Verb
  • Shields' younger daughter inherited her love of fashion and regularly swipes designer pieces from her closet.
    — Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026
  • Geomagnetic conditions are expected to intensify late tonight into early tomorrow, if the CME swipes Earth, according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 12 May 2026
Definition of swipes

Browse Nearby Words

thievery
thieves
thieving
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thieves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thieves. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on thieves

Nglish: Translation of thieves for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All