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 thieves bypassed alarm and security systems at the MuMe museum. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 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 One Denver business owner is voicing frustration after officers took more than an hour to respond while thieves made off with thousands of dollars in merchandise during a recent burglary. — Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026 Police released a video of the robbery, which appeared to show a three-minute robbery in which two thieves entered through a window and grabbed the works off the wall. — Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026 Unattended items — like bags, phones and wallets — can easily become the target of thieves. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026 The thieves reportedly gained access to the building by using a Lilli Petroli truck and tearing down a large iron entrance gate using a cable. — Theo Belci, Artforum, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thieves
  1. robbers
  2. steals
  3. burglars
  4. swipes
Noun
  • Police said the robbers were wearing dark clothing and masks.
    — Dylan Olsen, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Back in the ’90s, one year after making her film debut in Cadillac Man, Petty skyrocketed to fame after starring alongside Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in the action film about surfers who moonlight as bank robbers.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of robbers
Verb
  • Nobody wants to work with a colleague who steals credit for everything.
    — Melody Wilding, CNBC, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Trump's quick save for wandering toddler sets up a Biden joke that steals the show.
    — , FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of steals
Noun
  • Despite the help from aircraft, law enforcement could not locate the suspects after searching all of the rail cars investigators believed the burglars entered.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • On June 19 burglars used a saw to cut through a garage door on Avalon Heights Terrace, and smashed through a sliding glass window to get into the home.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 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 18 Aug. 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All