steal n
1. an advantageous purchase; "she got a bargain at the auction"; "the stock was a real buy at that price" [syn: bargain, buy]
2. a stolen base; an instance in which a base runner advances safely during the delivery of a pitch (without the help of a hit or walk or passed ball or wild pitch) v
3. take without the owner's consent; "Someone stole my wallet on the train"; "This author stole entire paragraphs from my dissertation"
4. move stealthily; "The ship slipped away in the darkness" [syn: slip]
5. steal a base
6. to go stealthily or furtively; "..stead of sneaking around spying on the neighbor's house" [syn: sneak, mouse, creep, pussyfoot] [also: stolen, stole]

Steal \Steal\, n. [See Stale a handle.] A handle; a stale, or stele. [Archaic or Prov. Eng.] And in his hand a huge poleax did bear. Whose steale was iron-studded but not long. --Spenser.

Steal \Steal\, v. t. [imp. Stole; p. p. Stolen; p. pr. & vb. n. Stealing.] [OE. stelen, AS. stelan; akin to OFries. stela, D. stelen, OHG. stelan, G. stehlen, Icel. stela, SW. stj["a]la, Dan. sti[ae]le, Goth. stilan.]
1. To take and carry away, feloniously; to take without right or leave, and with intent to keep wrongfully; as, to steal the personal goods of another. Maugre thy heed, thou must for indigence Or steal, or borrow, thy dispense. --Chaucer. The man who stole a goose and gave away the giblets in ?lms. --G. Eliot.
2. To withdraw or convey clandestinely (reflexive); hence, to creep furtively, or to insinuate. They could insinuate and steal themselves under the same by their humble carriage and submission. --Spenser. He will steal himself into a man's favor. --Shak.
3. To gain by insinuating arts or covert means.

Theft is a crime. It is when one person or group takes from another person, business, or state any object, money, service, or information without permission. A person who has been convicted of theft may be called a thief. However, the practice of engaging in theft is also called stealing. There are many different types of theft, such as burglary, armed robbery and shoplifting.

Theft is also known as permanent borrowing.

Stealing is a basic crime, and is illegal almost everywhere. Thieves steal things sometimes because they want to have something for themselves, or because they want to sell something for money. Sometimes thieves will come up with plans to rob a store, bank, house, or person, and sometimes they will just see a chance to steal something and take it.

When thieves steal things for money, they usually pick cars, electronics, laptops, or other things they can sell easily. Sometimes thieves use pawn shops to sell things easily to someone who will not ask questions.

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